Orbits of Glass
by Sqweakie the Wonder Mouse
Summary: Superheros never came to Amity Park. That was the rule. So what happens when fate drags one there? Crossover with Teen Titans. AU after Reality Trip.
1. Day 1 Friday

**Orbits of Glass  
**_By: Sqweakie the Wonder Mouse_

_**Summary:**__ Superheros never came to Amity Park. That was the rule. So what happens when fate drags one there?_

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Chapter One – A sort of prologue set during a Friday in April…

The wind tore at his hair as he crouched lower behind the windshield of his borrowed bike. _'At least the rain stopped,'_ he told himself. He barely slowed as he entered the city limits and the highway turned to a narrow city street. He wasn't exactly sure which city he was in. All he knew was that he was somewhere north on a bike he stole outside a gas station.

Two-story brownstones bracketed either side as he followed the signs and finally came to a park. The road was dry by the time he cruised to a stop near the tree line. The rain hadn't reached this part of the city so he took advantage of it. He pushed the chopper behind a clump of pines and entered the woods alone.

He ran a bare hand through his wet hair and shivered inside his oversized shirt. He 'borrowed' the shirt and a pair of pants from one of the thugs that originally jumped him in Gotham. The man was also one of the thugs he knocked out hours after his capture. He stowed his own clothes in a compartment under the seat of his motorcycle, not that they covered much after he had torn the strips away. Now he wore a huge dress shirt and pants with the belt cinched tight and the cuffs rolled up.

The teen (for he was only sixteen) rubbed his uncovered eyes. He wished one of the criminals had been smart enough to use sunglasses. His only pair of glasses was smashed under the table he had thrown once he escaped out of the chair they had tied him to.

He pulled his thoughts out of the past as his slight shivering increased to outright trembling and he started to see his breath. It was late April so being cold wasn't unusual. What was strange was the sudden drop in temperature. Giggling sounded behind him which turned his blood cold. Crossing his arms to keep some of the heat in, he turned to face the laughing woman.

He was prepared for anything and he got…nothing. No one was behind him. He continued shivering, certain he had heard a woman's voice. A wind blew around him and the rain he had been fleeing started falling around him. The faint afternoon sun hid completely and set the world in off-colors.

"Are you lost, little boy?" the voice asked. He swung around. Nothing was behind him. All that was around him were trees and more trees.

"Come out and face me," he yelled to the trees, falling into a fighting stance. He tried to put as much authority in his voice as he could but it came out sounding small in the new dark.

A cold hand dropped onto his shoulder but he didn't have a chance to look before the same hand slammed him into a tree. He tried to push the thing away but he felt heavy and slid down the tree trunk. He lifted his eyes to the figure pressing him down. All he saw was the shadow of a woman with burning red eyes.

"Ahh… the sweet taste of misery. You are filled with it," the shadow woman cooed and brought her hand to his face in a gesture of mock-kindness. The dark-haired teen tried to pull away but he couldn't find the energy right away. Something deep inside him 'pulled' and a trickle of fear entered and subsequently was stripped from his mind. Finally finding his strength, he kicked at the specter and caught her by surprise. She crashed into a tree a few feet away.

"Who the heck are you?" he asked as he struggled to stand next to the maple tree he had been trapped against.

"I'm Spectra," she said as she floated. From a distance he could see that she had the form of a woman but looked like the black shadow. "And you, little boy, are going to give me all your _pain_, all your _misery_ and _I_ will regain my form." With that she flew towards him, arms stretched out. She grabbed onto his shoulders and sunk her claw-like nails in.

"I…am not a … little boy!" He grabbed one of her black arms and threw her around into another convenient tree. He staggered back a couple of steps as she pulled herself off the ground and turned to him.

"Oh you are going to _PAY_ for that!" The woman let out a scream and her read eyes flared a brighter red. She hovered above him and swung a clawed fist. A normally easy strike to avoid, it hit him with the force of a Mack Truck.

The lone hit, along with the hell he had been through only hours before was enough to knock him down to the forest floor. He rolled to his side and spit blood; he accidentally bit his tongue when hit and unwanted weakness kept him on the ground. He still had enough in him to glare up at her smirking non-face. It was kind of hard to glare at something that was only eyes and a mouth.

He opened his mouth for one last smart-ass statement when his voice was drowned out by the sound of a high-power laser. The specter was blown thru the trees again, this time chased by another flying figure. From what he could see, this new addition wore red and rode a flying surfboard. Laser light crossed the space between Spectra and the new fighter, lighting up the small clearing. The two circled around his position, the shadow blasting with green energy beams, the stranger firing back in red.

The teen struggled to sit up and was surprised when hands helped him upright. He looked over to see someone around his age with hair as dark as his, his face covered by green glasses and a half mask. "Are you alright?" asked this new person, voice clear through the mask. All he could do was shake his head wordlessly knowing that he was hurt and not knowing exactly what was going on around him. The small burst of energy he had earlier vanished and the adrenaline rush faded. Suddenly, the guy pushed him to the ground and covered him as the two fighters passed right over their spot. Energy blasts struck the ground and the rain hissed with the heat.

He stayed on the ground as his rescuer stood up. Visually, they both followed the wild path of the battle until the unknown flyer was hit and she fell to the ground. Spectra gloated from the air as the fighter cursed, the voice feminine and mad. Then the ghost turned from the downed woman and focused on his rescuer. Cursing his body for being weak, all he could do was lay there as she flew towards them. She stopped and hovered with a sneer as he stayed on the ground and the guy next to him dropped down on one knee.

"Well, that was fun. But, I have a body to rebuild so if you would just hold still…" She trailed off as the smirk he was coming to hate appeared on her face again. She moved a couple of feet closer with her hands stretched out. His eyes drifted close as the helplessness grew and his energy disappeared. He could imagine the shadow had reached them by now but he laid still on the ground. His eyes shot open though when he heard a gasp. He lifted his head enough to see a green beam slam into the shadow woman, knocking her back into the path of a blue light. She was sucked into a container held by the fallen fighter. Turning his head he followed the path of the green light to the boy, his rescuer, still kneeling on the ground next to him. He dropped a smoking hand and turned with worry to him.

"Just hold still," the man told him. "We're going to take you to the hospital." He felt arms reach under him to lift him up.

"No hospitals," he ordered. His voice came out weaker than he wanted it to. "Don't take me there…" he stopped talking as his eyes drifted close again in forced sleep.

"Who are you?" his rescuer asked as he settled him back on the ground. His eyes remained closed but he still has enough of a grip on reality to answer the question. He whispered his name before giving up and surrendering to unconsciousness.

"So what did he say?" asked the girl. She walked across the ground instead of flying like she had for the fight. She slung the cylindrical container across her back and joined her friend to look at the kid they had saved. The teenager on the ground was completely out and her partner stared down at the beaten-up boy. Not taking his eyes off his charge he repeated the name.

"Robin…"

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R&R

_Edited 12/6/08_


	2. Day 1 cont

**Orbits of Glass  
**_By: Sqweakie the Wonder Mouse_

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Chapter Two

The rain continued to fall after Spectra was pulled into the Fenton Thermos. He settled the stranger back to the soaked grass while Valerie stared down at him, rain running down her glasses and plastering dark curls to her head.

"Aren't you going to rush him to the hospital? We have no idea how long Spectra had her claws in him." Standing behind him, tapping her hand against the sealed Thermos, she waited for his answer.

"I know," he replied, not looking at his partner. "But he said no hospitals."

"Are you crazy?" she yelled right back. "Why would you listen to him?"

"Take a look at him. His clothes are too big and his shoes…" He trailed off at the ghost hunter's surprised and concerned expression.

"Danny," she asked carefully. "Did Skulker hit you harder than we thought?" She crouched next to him as she referred to the fight earlier that day. Her hand hesitantly touched the bruise barely visible behind his glasses and the hair plastered to his skull by the rain.

"Valerie, just look at the damn shoes!" The dark skinned girl rolled her eyes before bending down to look at the controversial footwear. She lifted up one boot and examined it carefully with a professional eye.

"They're a custom job," her verdict came after a moment. "I've never seen steel molded this way."

"So he blew his money on the shoes and had to steal the rest of his clothes from a banker or something? There has to be something else going on. It's just not right. Do you think you can snoop around to see if there is anything else weird around here?"

"Sure. I think I saw something metallic off in the trees over in that direction." She waved to their right before setting off into the woods.

Danny remained on the ground. After a couple of seconds he waved his hand in a circular motion. A green shield appeared, covering a six foot area, and protected him and his charge from the rain. He wasn't sure why he was following the injured teen's wishes, but he had a hunch. It wasn't anything that he could act on until Val returned to confirm his suspicions. All he could do was rest his aching head on his knees and wait for Valerie or for the John Doe on the ground to wake up.

He sighed and winced at a particularly strong spike of pain jabbed at his head. Two years of ghost hunting and there were still things out there that surprised him. He reopened his eyes and just observed the boy. The kid had to be around his age, but there was no way to know until he woke up and told them. He looked like Spectra's favorite type: short, scrawny, (and considering the setting) probably lost and alone by the time she had found her victim. What differentiated him from Spectra's usual targets was the fact that he fought back. That was not normal prey behavior. Spectra struck so fast that the fight was literally sucked out of the victim. The only known exceptions to the rule were him and his sister, Jazz.

Finally Valerie made her way back to their spot in the woods. After she gently pushed thru the rain shield she threw her burden right at his head. He caught it, barely holding on to the slick, black fabric. Unwrapping the cloth, he revealed the blood-stained remains of some type of uniform. Digging through the strips of red and green he found one piece large enough to have a symbol on it. He held up the scrap to Valerie.

"I don't recognize it," she told him. He agreed. The 'R' inside a circle was new to him too.

"It's just the kind of thing a superhero would wear." His tone was grim and the feeling that something was off grew inside him.

"Is that bad?" she asked, confused. Danny didn't answer as he rewrapped the scraps and threw the whole ball to the ghost hunter. Then he let his shield dissolve as he picked up the suspected hero.

"What are you doing now?" she said, exasperated at his weird behavior.

"It's impossible for him to be here. No superheroes are allowed within miles of the city limits. He can't go to a hospital but we can take him somewhere safe."

Her eyes widened when she figured where the ghost boy was going to go. "Oh no! He _is not_ staying at my place."

"There is nowhere else we can take him!" he yelled back. He held the unresponsive body closer at her dark expression.

"Danny…"

"If he is a superhero and we take him to a hospital, what are they going to do for him? And we can't leave him out here." He left the rest of the sentence unsaid. Her hands curled into fists and she looked away.

"Fine," she growled out. "But this ain't over. Any funny business and he's gone."

Danny nodded before he transformed into Phantom and flew into the rain. There was a quiet roar behind him, signifying that Val was following him on her glider. Cutting across the sky he slowed when they reached Val's apartment complex. He passed through the outer wall while Valerie went to street level to enter the building the traditional way.

By the time she walked through the door, Danny had their 'guest' on the lone couch in the living room. Nodding a greeting, she disappeared down the hall before returning with his first aid kit. Danny's kit had a lot of things you wouldn't normally find in a traditional first aid kit that Valerie's dad left under the kitchen sink. They had no idea how injured the John Doe on the couch was...or 'Robin' if that was his real name, so the heavy duty kit was broken out.

On the surface, 'Robin' didn't look too bad. A bruise marred his left cheek and a shallow cut oozed on his forehead. If there was any damage, it was hidden by the rain-soaked clothing. Danny grimly pulled on a pair of gloves and handed an identical set to Val. She removed a pair of scissors out of the kit and the two of them worked on cutting and removing the shirt first. The facial damage could not prepare either ghost or hunter for what they found. The wet shirt, a navy blue, concealed seeping lacerations, multicolored bruises, and stained bandages.

"What the hell happened to him?" Valerie whispered in horror.

"It isn't fresh," her ghost counterpart said. "Spectra couldn't have done all of this. Shit!" Danny had just pulled off the largest bandage and exposed the gaping wound underneath. "We're gonna have to stitch that." Valerie winced but she continued to clean up their charge turned patient. While she took care of the small cuts, Danny started to stitch up the large gash on Robin's side. It wasn't something he liked to do. If fact he had only done it on a real, living person twice before but this was one of those times he couldn't think about his lack of experience. The longer they worked the more certain he was that they couldn't take this guy to the hospital. Something _bad_ was going on and if this guy ended up in the hospital there would be a lot of questions that neither he nor Val had the answers to.

Finally they cleaned up the shirtless hero as best as they can. Valerie left the room while Danny continued lower. By the time she came back into the living room Danny had finished bandaging his legs and covered up Robin with a worn blanket. There was nothing left to do but wait for the unconscious teen to wake up.

"I got a hold of my dad, gave him the heads up," she said.

"What did he say?" Danny asked as he packed up the kit and stuffed in a closet, easier to access than Val's bedroom.

"We've got a lot of explaining to do in the morning," she said as she walked over to the kitchen and dug through the freezer.

Danny nodded in agreement before sitting down in the recliner. He looked up when Valerie returned from her foraging and stood in front of him. She held out an ice pack and a bottle of aspirin, a glass of water tucked in her elbow. He smiled and thanked her before taking her gifts.

"You know the drill." Valerie started up her familiar post-concussion speech. "Stay up until my dad gets home, take the aspirin again in six hours and let me know if the headache gets worse or any changes in vision. I'm going to bed. "

"Yes Mom." He smiled at her with mock-innocence and a wink. She stuck out her tongue and disappeared into one of the small bedrooms at the far end of the apartment. Danny grabbed a blanket off the floor, curling up and preparing himself for a long night.

oOo

He hated when he woke up after being knocked out. It wasn't the same as waking up in his own bed (or at least some place familiar). It was never good in his book when he woke someplace new, this time no exception. The sounds around him made no sense and there were no familiar voices welcoming him back to the land of the living. His body ached all over and his mouth had that unbrushed, cottony feeling. He didn't move or open his eyes, trying to rely on his other senses to tell him what was going on.

After a few minutes he could tell he was wrapped in a blanket on a semi-firm surface. Soft sounds came from the direction of his feet and he was cold, despite the blanket. After deciding that he could learn no more laying like he was, he opened his eyes. All he saw above him was a cracked plaster ceiling colored by flickering light. He turned his head to the side. He saw a small TV turned on in the corner, creating the light and the noises he heard. The room itself was pretty bare and the only other chair in the room was filled with a blanket-wrapped figure. All he could see of the stranger was black hair above the red blanket.

Robin tried to speak but all that came out was a weak cough. The sound was enough to alert the other occupant in the room. 'Blanket' stood up and turned on a hidden lamp. Light spread across the room and it sung his eyes. Blinking away the spots he looked up at the guy who had turned on the lamp.

Messy black hair and blue eyes matched the purple bruise on the left side of his head. His body was still wrapped in the blanket and sock-covered feet stuck out the bottom. He crouched down to Robin's level with a small smile on his face.

"I'm glad to see you're awake. I was afraid you would be out for a couple of more hours. How do you feel?" a scratchy voice asked.

"I'm fine," the Titan replied. He sat up to prove it. Well… he tried to sit up but a burning pain tore at his abdomen. A cold hand pushed him back down on the lumpy couch.

"You don't want to move. I don't want to re-stitch that cut, especially since you're awake." The words didn't make sense until he pushed his own blanket off his stomach. Gauze and tape covered patches of skin. He dropped his hand to the knife wound, the gauze covering it made a thick padding. The bandages they had placed were not this neat or clean. The boy's words finally caught up with him, jerking his head towards the other boy.

"Re-stitched?" he asked, not remembering anyone stitching him up or even how he got here, laying on a cough in someone's home. In fact, he couldn't remember anything after he grabbed an unattended bike outside a gas station in Gotham City.

"It was a little too deep to leave it to heal by itself," blanket explained. "I'll be able to take out the stitches in a couple of days."

"You stitched my side?" Disbelief colored his voice. The other guy looked down and nodded shyly. Robin just stared at the embarrassed teen. The Titan hazard a guess that they boy had to be in high school and Robin didn't know many kids his age that knew how to treat major wounds. Not many kids would even want to know how at that point.

"What's your name?" he asked to break the silence.

"Danny," was all the boy told him.

"Where am I?" Robin asked as he looked around the almost bare room, searching for some clue on how he got there.

"My friend's apartment…"

"No," he interrupted. "I mean what city are we in?"

"You don't know?" Danny asked. Robin shook his head, waiting for an answer.

"You're in Amity Park. The Spirit Capital of the planet." Sarcasm dripped from his voice for the first time. The name rang a bell but he couldn't remember from where. Names, Dates and Information were jumbled up in his head. Sensing that the injured teen needed time, Danny left his side and sat down in the recliner. He tried to process everything he heard, but Robin couldn't keep his eyes open and he slipped back into the land of nightmares.

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R&R

_Thanks to EvilRobotZombieLoofaOverlord, Equinox, Fuzzytoesocks, PhantomKat7, Silent Elegy, Kairi7, MiaRose 156 , and noelle._

_Edited 12/06/08_


	3. Day 1 cont and Day 2 Saturday

**Orbits of Glass  
**_By: Sqweakie the Wonder Mouse_

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Chapter Three

Starlight twinkled over the city. A sliver of the moon was low in the sky, the rain clouds from earlier abandoning the sky. If stargazing was in her plans she would have picked a perfect night. But her search wasn't of the sky; it was the ground and buildings below her. She had told Danny that she was going to sleep; she just forgot to tell him she decided to patrol Amity before sleeping. 'Insomnia sucks' was Valerie's primary thought while drifting in the faint moonlight.

Wind played with her loose hair and drew out a sigh. Her life was like a frickin' soap opera. There were great moments and for a time life was good. But like any good soap, a plot twist occurred and her life became hell. Starting off early in life, her mother left. Then her and her dad moved away from her house in Pennsylvania. They moved all the way to Amity Park so he could start a new job. She left her friends and had to start out with nothing in Amity. It was hard, but she gained popularity and life was good again... until the next plot twist came.

'_This wasn't the life I wanted.'_ The thoughts came on their own._ 'This wasn't what I planned.' _Before the accident at Axion she had been on top of the world. She was popular, rich, and her father gave her everything she wanted. When her dad was fired she was devastated (at the time). She lost everything she considered important. She fell farther than she thought she ever would on the social food chain. It was worse than when she moved to Amity in fifth grade. Then the package came. The gifts, the ghost hunting equipment, from Wisconsin gave her a new hope and purpose. She became a hunter, faceless and a red fury against all ghosts and she started to control her life again.

But things happened between her freshman year of high school and the present. Some things were good, some too awful to bring up for her light musings. It caused her to change again. The transformation from a cold hunter to the protector she was now wasn't easy. Danny was the one person that had stayed with her during her reinvention after freshman year. In turn, she stayed with him as his life spiraled out of control. They grew closer than she ever thought they would, going from acquaintances at school to friends to something even closer.

At the same time, that eventful spring and summer before sophomore year, her hate relationship with Danny Phantom twisted into a positive. In the fall she also found out that her crush, Danny Fenton, was the infamous Ghost Boy she had hunted before. If the situation when she found out wasn't so _extreme_ she would have killed him. Instead, he ended up living with her and Dad on and off for the past year and a half.

Shaking her head she brought herself out of the past. Taking one last look at the stars and city streets below she decided to turn in for the night. She stretched and stood up on her glider. The two years since she started hunting changed her both mentally and physically. She was a little taller, a little curvier. During her patrol nights she abandoned the red suit for something a little more low-key. Now she wore an outfit of her own creation that could blend in with the normal citizens of Amity with a few small changes. The base was a tight T-shirt hidden by a Kevlar and Ecto-armored Vest. Over the vest, she usually wore a jacket reaching past her hips. Complimenting the trench coat style, she paired faded blue jeans and black boots.

She had cut her hair, the most drastic personal change. Her dark locks were curled and they brushed her shoulder, no longer reaching the small of her back when wet. She did without a full mask while hunting ghosts. Her original mask never hid her human identity from the ghosts she hunted. Now she wore a half mask that covered her nose and mouth with the advantage of filtering out smoke and some of the special attacks ghosts sometimes used. To protect her eyes, her red glasses formed around her face like safety goggles. It was a pitiful disguise but no one said that the living population of Amity Park was the brightest or the most observant. No one had figured it out and she was _not_ going to announce that she was one of the mysterious ghost hunters that watched over the city.

The roar of her glider drowned out the thoughts as she pulled higher into the air. She angled herself to the west and traveled above the city to her dismal apartment. It was quiet, sometime after two-thirty when she crawled back through her window and fell asleep…

oOo

Faint light streamed past her curtains. Somewhere in the apartment a radio was playing and the smell of coffee gently teased her out of sleep. It was one of her few weaknesses. Coffee was her lifeblood, her reason for getting up in the morning and her dad knew it was the safest way to wake her up.

Eyes were not even open as she made her way to the tiny kitchen. At the table sat Dad, Danny, and a fresh pot of coffee. Her mug sat out at her spot and cereal was lined up on the counter. She grabbed a random box and sat down to take her mug. The first sips were bitter but as she woke up the taste became better. With now opened eyes, she looked around and caught the time on the microwave.

"You got me up before seven!" _6:37_ was the time she read.

"Danny was up when I got home," her Dad started to explain, "and since he can't go to bed until you are up we decided to wake you up."

"Evil Creeps," she growled at her cereal. Danny laughed and it was a wonderful sound. God knew he had few reasons to be happy. She hid a giggle behind her coffee cup and watched him. The other teen threw her a mischievous smile and started to tell a crazy story that involved Tucker, shaving cream, and the girls' volleyball team.

Val relaxed back and enjoyed the almost normalcy in the kitchen. Danny finished his story to roaring laughter from her father. She laughed too and Danny flashed a huge smile at her. Warmth crawled through her belly and everything was right in the world at that moment.

"How is our guest doing?" she asked with a smile. Danny's grin was very infectious.

"He woke up around four. He's a little confused, really sore but alive. He fell back asleep just before Dad came home." Danny didn't look at the elder Grey so he missed the smile that appeared on her father's face. Danny was the son Damian never had and it always made him a little happier to be called 'Dad'.

"So why do you kids think that he is a superhero," her father asked over the normal noises of breakfast.

"Just a bunch of little things weren't quite right when we found him. He was beat up and had those strange clothes," Dan answered.

"And he hotwired a motorcycle," she added. Danny looked at her with surprise.

"He did? I didn't think you could do that."

"Well, this kid did," she said before digging into her cereal.

Her dad just snorted and poured a new cup of coffee for himself. She assumed that Danny had already explained what had happened. She also noticed the bag they put Robin's clothes in was open and a piece of green spandex flopped over the side.

Things were quiet for a couple of minutes before she blurted out the question that had been bugging her since last night.

"Why aren't superheroes allowed into Amity Park?" Both males jumped and looked over at her outburst.

"I forgot that you weren't born here," Danny said as he swirled his spoon thru his fruit loops. "I used to hear the story all the time from my Grampa. About sixty years ago Amity Park was like any semi-major city in the US. We had big industry and a decent economy which attracted some regular villains and then super villains."

"Now, regular villains can be taken care of by the cops but the super villains needed someone more powerful to control them. Enter the superheroes. For a couple of years they kept order. The only problem was that they weren't that good, neither were the villains. It wasn't that they were evil, they just weren't able to control their powers."

"In other words, they sucked," Val interrupted.

"Yeah. The city officials were getting frustrated with the whole lot of them. A lot of property was damaged and it wasn't just the bad guys' fault. The last straw was in 1959. A fight between the 'good guys' and 'bad guys' got out of hand. One of the warehouses, where Axion Labs is now, caught on fire. They lost control of the blaze and it burned down about four city blocks. People died…" he trailed off for a minute before starting again.

"Well, the ones blamed were those with super powers." Bitterness crept into his voice. "Both the villains and the heroes were at fault. The entire city blamed them _equally_. A meeting was called to decide what to do. A large crowd gathered by the front steps of city hall. It was raining that day and the space was filled with trench coats and black umbrellas. Every hero and villain of Amity Park stood as a group in the center. They were a bright and colorful eyesore in a sea of tan and black."

The spoon swirled faster and Danny focused on something neither she nor her dad could see.

"Once everyone was assembled the mayor began to speak from the top of the steps. There were too many people to fit inside. He spoke of the deaths and the destruction and everything that had happened. Then he announced that the city was done. Amity would no longer play the game of good guys and bad guys, _heroes and villains_. It was proclaimed that neither superhero nor supervillain would be allowed within ten miles of the city limits. The supers had a week to pack up and leave. Anyone that had stayed would be arrested and be sent to Arkham Asylum.

"The decree was met with shock and then skepticism in the Supers' world. It wasn't taken seriously until they arrested Superman."

It was at this point that her dad choked and spit out his coffee. She dropped her spoon in surprise. Danny stopped his story and let the two of them recover. Up until now her dad was quiet but after cleaning up the wasted coffee he asked the question that she had too.

"How do you arrest Superman?"

"Very carefully and with lots of people," Danny said with a grin.

"I heard the stories at work but no one knew which Super they actually arrested." Her dad stared off into space before he asked how Danny knew that.

"My Grampa was a cop. He spends most of his time in Florida playing golf now. He used to tell me that story all the time when he still lived up here. Grampa was a liaison officer with the Justice League in the fifties. APPD pulled him and reassigned him to the task force that took care of the Supers."

"So why haven't they been allowed back? I mean, it's been _years_." Valerie asked curiously.

"They were useless and caused more problems than helping anyone. The 'heroes' were just in it for the fame. Once a 'hero' got good enough to actually help, they moved to a bigger city. The normal people just living here and walking the streets got hurt worse than any Hero did. Amity survived just fine without them."

"Until the ghosts came," Dad muttered to his coffee.

"We're doing just fine," Danny retorted. "…and no humans have died yet."

'_Except you,'´_ Val silently added. Danny looked down and concentrated on finishing his cereal, deaf to her dad's following questions and comments. All of a sudden he set down his spoon and stood up.

"Val, I'm stealing your bed for a couple of hours." He gently kissed her forehead and started to leave the kitchen.

"Dan, don't forget to call your parents," her dad said just as he was leaving the room.

The halfa stopped dead in the doorway. He never turned but his posture was suddenly soldier-straight and cold.

"Later Damian," was all he said.

"At least let them know how long you're staying here," her dad advised.

Shoulders were still stiff as he left the room without a word. His good mood had evaporated in a heartbeat. Somewhere a door slammed and he didn't come back. Dad looked at her sadly before leaving himself. She threw the dirty dishes in the sink without a word. Then she made her way to the bathroom for a desperately needed shower.

No one noticed the dark-haired, alleged hero was awake and that he had heard every word.

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R&R

_Thanks to: Blackrosebunny, My Eternal Facade, WingsOfMorphius, Anne Camp aka Obi-Quiet, Tetsukon, PhantomGRL91, Twin Kats, The Halfa Wannabe, Rei Tamashii, MiaRose 156, spiritls, Equinox, animegurl1088, phantomshadowdragon, QueenNarca, -the-gem-of-Azar, Bananawings72, Hash-Sligner Slasher-HI, and rikagirls._

_Edited 12/6/08_


	4. Day 2 cont

**Orbits of Glass  
**_By: Sqweakie the Wonder Mouse_

_AN: Not much action or angst in this chappie but Enter…THE FLASHBACK! Occasionally you'll see a large group of text in italics. This will denote a flashback. They will pop up occasionally…like a bad penny or politicians (actually, same difference)._

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Chapter Four

"_The wharf is the best place to find explosives and cheap information. You need to watch your back. There is a reason the information is cheap."_

_The dot continued to blink even after his teacher stopped his narrative. He was only ten or eleven at the time, sitting in that stiff chair for hours. There were other things that he would rather be doing like learning that double flip or practicing with batarangs. Instead, he was trapped in his chair and learning pointless, nitpicky details about the cities around Gotham City._

_Fingers flew across the keyboards and a new city lit up on the overhead map. On the left-side screen large warnings flashed next to the city's name. He read the warnings as he impatiently waited for his mentor to start lecturing on about this city. Batman stayed silent so he took a chance._

"_Amity Park…" Robin read out loud, waiting for the adult to start another monotonous dialogue._

"_The one place we will never travel to while on a case," he finally said. "It's completely off limits."_

"_What about the bad guys there?" Robin asked. As Batman explained about each city he noted the local villains that they might encounter in each area._

"_There are no supervillains residing there. It doesn't exist in our world."_

"_I don't understand…"_

"_No superhero can go into that city," he said while looking at his young sidekick. "Batman can't go there. Robin can't go there. No one with powers lives there. Amity Park is even avoided by the bad guys. It is a place where the struggle between good and evil doesn't exist. We don't exist to them." The older man paused, debating on how to word the next part._

"_But, if you're desperate and you have nowhere else you can go, it's a haven. Robin can't go there, like I said, but Dick Grayson can. You can blend completely and no one would ever find you there."_

"_But you said that superheroes couldn't go there?" he asked, confused since Batman just warned him that he couldn't go there._

"_If you don't tell anyone there that you are Robin, there is no way to prove it. You have no special powers or genetic changes. You are completely human and you can disappear there, completely."_

"_Have you ever been there?" The young hero looked away from the computer monitors to see his mentor's response._

_Batman's eyes lost focus and he took his time before answering. "Twice. Both times were emergencies and I was Bruce each time."_

"_Why can't superheroes go to Amity Park?"_

"_You don't need to know," the Bat said, ending their conversation. "Just remember…"_

If remembering were only that easy. He had been wracking his brain, trying to remember where he had heard the name Amity Park. It took a lot out of him just to remember that one conversation. He felt exhausted and he hadn't moved all morning. The plus side was that it was easy to fake sleep and had overheard his hosts talking over breakfast.

He stared at the ceiling and mentally went over the facts. So far all he was sure of was that he was in Amity Park, in an apartment and he was injured. He remembered Gotham and everything that had transpired before he stole the motorcycle. His last clear memory was pulling onto ninety-one heading north. Everything after that blended into one long nightmare that masked the truth. Old fears mixed with the real things that occurred. His memories were filled with moving shadows and a phantom Slade. He half saw a fight where people flew and a boy spoke to him. The truth of last night laid buried beneath a concussion, blood loss and a mile of history from his past that clouded everything.

Early morning ended the confusing nightmare. He had woken up bandaged and damaged, but alive. He was pretty sure that Danny was the boy from his nightmare memories; his voice matched that of his rescuer. His present memory may have been clear, but that didn't mean that anything made sense. If a quarter of what he remembered was true Danny had been part of the fight against the shade of a woman. It was unusual for a normal, human teenager to stand up against the abnormalities that plagued the earth. He thought the shadow woman was real but she was no villain that Robin had ever heard of. It was like she was a …ghost.

'_Amity Park…The Spiritual Capital of the Planet,'_ Danny had said. At the time Robin thought he was referring to a bunch of religious nut jobs that infested the city. Maybe he wasn't referring to religion but to the spirits or whatever you wanted to call them... ghosts. But the logical part of him insisted that it couldn't be true. The dead didn't come back to haunt the living.

'_Yeah, and demons and aliens don't exist either.'_ If that were true then Starfire, Raven, and a quarter of the Justice League were figments of his imagination. He tapped his fingers against his leg, leaving that mental tangent alone and continued the recap.

He had heard two new voices after the second time he woke up. One was a girl or a woman, impossible to tell until he saw her face to face. The other voice belonged to an older man. They only checked on him once and he faked sleep so they left the superhero alone. It gave him the perfect opportunity to listen in on their conversations and try to figure out if they were friend or foe.

After the morning conversation between the boy, the girl and the man, he didn't decide either way… yet. At least he now knew why Amity Park didn't exist in the real world. The story about the Heroes was pretty clear; no wonder the Bat never told him why the supers were exiled. This was probably the only place on earth that the Supers had been run out of with just ingenuity and skill. It would have been a complete embarrassment to the League.

Movement and noises behind him drew him out of his thoughts. A figure suddenly entered his field of vision too soon and he didn't have time to pretend to be lost to oblivion. "You're awake!" a female voice said in surprise. She kept moving until she was fully in view. She was a girl who had to be around his age and a little taller than him, he had to guess. She had dark skin and cool green eyes which were set off by her simple white shirt and jeans.

"Who are you?" he asked her. She blinked and sat down on the edge of the couch.

"I'm Valerie." She spoke warily. "Who are you?"

"Robin," he said honestly. He vaguely remembered the boy calling him that in the middle of the night and it was safer to stick with that instead of pulling out one of his many aliases.

"Just Robin?" she asked skeptically.

"Well, what's your last name?" he asked in return.

"That is need to know information and you don't need to know."

He didn't comment and after a couple of seconds she huffed. "Fine. Let's make one thing clear, I don't want you here. If you do _anything_ you'll be on the street faster than you can blink. I'm going to check your bandages now, so just hold still."

He glared in return but nodded his acceptance, not liking the situation one bit. Her gaze didn't soften as she pushed his blanket off his stomach. She poked and peaked under the gauze that covered his chest. He lay there quietly until she pulled his blanket past his knees. He actually sat up and made a futile grab at the blanket before the pain caught up to him.

"Stop being a baby and lay down," Valerie ordered as she pushed him back down.

"But…" he trailed off as he looked down. He was pretty sure that last night he had only been in his boxers. He looked towards his toes to see he was wearing a pair of track pants. Confusion must have showed because the girl sighed.

"Danny put those on you sometime this morning so you would be decent." He felt his cheeks heat in a blush and decided to change the subject quick.

"He mentioned that this was a friends' apartment?" he asked, trying to watch her reaction as she pulled out a roll of tape and fasten the end on one of the bandages on his stomach..

"Me and my dad live here. Danny stays here a lot, too." She added the last as an afterthought and her voice grew gentle. Robin didn't dare comment on it. He wasn't certain if this was an act or if she had actually calmed down. He had learned the hard way that girls were complicated and they never did what you thought they would.

She made a grab at the blanket again and this time he didn't fight her. Without the cover he could see past his knees to his bare feet. He was surprised to see that his left ankle was wrapped in an ace bandage and propped up on a pillow. The surprise was because he hadn't notice any pain before or the pillow under his leg. She unwrapped his foot and he winced when he saw how swollen it was.

"It's not broken, is it?" he had to ask.

"We don't think so," she said. "Just a sprain." She rolled the ace bandage into a ball and threw it on an end table. "If I grab the crutches, do you think you could make it to the bathroom?"

"Sure, no problem," he said with confidence, actually wanting to get up and move around, if only to see more of the apartment. It was slow going to the bathroom. He was sore and it had been a long time since he had used crutches. After cleaning up the best that he could in the bathroom, Valerie led him back to the living room. Juice and a bowl of cereal were waiting for him on a rickety TV tray. He ate and tried to stay awake but his body betrayed him and drove him to sleep.

oOo

Val tapped her foot to an invisible beat as she waited for their 'guest' to fall asleep. She didn't have to wait long to see his eyes drift shut. He was so pale and had been shaking by the time they made it back to the living room. She hoped he hadn't lost too much blood because there was no way they could take him to the hospital. Once she was sure that the guy was asleep, she got out of her chair.

Time was inching towards noon and she wanted to check on Danny to see if he was feeling better after his nap. Concussions had never caused any long term problems in the half-ghost before but there was no sense in taking any chances. She reached the door to find that it was locked. That was no problem as she pulled out a key from under her shirt. She pulled the chain it was connected to over her head and quietly unlocked the door.

Putting the key away a smile danced across her face. Danny was curled up on her bed hugging her pillow, apparently dead to the world. At the sound of the door closing he lifted his head. She couldn't help but laugh at the clueless expression and the hair. He stuck out his tongue and retorted, "You don't look so wonderful yourself when you wake up."

She just blamed the sarcasm on the concussion. She sat down next to him as he buried his head under the pillow and groaned.

"I so don't want to call them right now." His voice was muffled but she wasn't worried about him suffocating. What she worried about was another confrontation between him and his dad. At that moment she decided to take pity on him.

"Are you going to call them or do you want me to?" she asked.

"You would?" The pillow fell on the floor and his hopeful face was inches from her.

"Yes, it will be hard and painful, the worst torture in the world for me but I will suffer through it," her tone and face expressionless as she tried not to laugh.

He smiled and gave her a quick hug of thanks before disappearing to check on the teen in her living room. She picked up the cordless laying on her nightstand and shut the door to give her some privacy. The hunter hit the speed dial and listened to the ringing.

'_Five…Six…Seven…'_ she mentally counted the rings as she paced her room.

"Hello, Fenton Works," a voice answered. She practically collapsed in relief.

"Hi, Mrs. Fenton. It's Valerie."

"Val," Danny's mom said in surprise. "It's good to hear from you. Is Danny alright?"

"He's fine," she assured the woman on the other end. "We just wanted to let you know that he'll be over here for a couple of weeks at least."

"Oh," Dan's mom said in disappointment. "Will you try to get him to stop by sometime this week?"

"I'll try but you know how he is." There was silence and Val could hear pages being flipped over the line.

"Jazz and Jack are going to be in Baltimore from Thursday to Sunday afternoon. I'll be here by myself or out on patrol. It would probably be easier to find me while patrolling."

"I'll pass it along," the young hunter said. "I'll talk to you later Mrs. Fenton."

"Wait Valerie," the older woman called out before she could hang up.

"Yes?"

"How is he really doing?" The worry was apparent even over the miles and the phone line.

"He was a little quiet earlier in the week, with Tucker visiting his Grandparents and Sam spending the month in Spain." She decided to tell her. "We were busy yesterday so that helped keep him distracted." She didn't dare mention the kid they dragged home. No sense in making the woman worry more than she already did.

"Good. I'll see you later. Call me if you guys need anything and say hi to your dad for me."

"I will," she promised. "Bye."

"Bye Valerie." She hit the end button and flopped back on her bed. She didn't move when she felt a weight fall next to her on the bed and a cool shoulder pressed against hers.

"Most people lock the door for a reason," she told the apparently empty room.

"It's too much work to pick the lock when you can just walk right through the door." She stuck out her tongue at a blank spot on her bed. The empty air laughed and Danny appeared right next to her. She rolled on top of the ghost to look him full in the face.

"Danny, I…" He leaned up and kissed her on the lips, silencing her.

"You are way too good at that." She had to take a moment to catch her breath as he fell back to the bed.

"I know," he said with a self-satisfied smirk.

"Your mom wants you to visit." She pressed her hand over his mouth to stop him from rejecting the idea. "They're leaving on Thursday and coming back Sunday. We can always catch her on patrol."

It was the safest place to contact Dan's mother. The Ghost Patrol had been set up to provide the best protection against ghosts twenty-four seven. It hadn't been needed two years ago but when her, Phantom and the Fentons were all out of commission and out of the city at the same time, ghosts overran Amity Park. A lot of bad things happened that fall during their sophomore year. But, if they hadn't happened, she and Danny wouldn't be here now.

She was interrupted by another drawn out kiss.

"You were thinking. That's dangerous," her boyfriend told her with mock seriousness. She didn't believe him for a second.

A predator's grin spread across her face and Danny actually looked scared. It was probably the first time he noticed she had a huge advantage. She sat up on his stomach and cracked her knuckles. A small eep came out of his throat before she attacked. Laughter tore through the apartment as she ticked Danny mercilessly in revenge.

_

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_

R&R

_Thank you so much to: ArtgirlChan, Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, Rei Tamashii , Inviso-Bill , Phantom's luver , Ghost-Wolf676, Tetsukon, My Eternal Facade , Equinox , Firehedgehog, spirit1s, Fuzzytoesocks, rikagirls, MiaRose 156 , -the-gem-of-Azar- , Luna Phantom , misaoshiru, teenyugiohpotterphantom_

_Editied 12/6/08_


	5. Day 3 Sunday

**Orbits of Glass  
**_By: Sqweakie the Wonder Mouse_

_

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Chapter Five

He drifted about thirty feet above the ground, mirroring his partner, the dear Valerie Grey. It was Sunday evening and dusk was settling on the park as they hovered. It wasn't their night to patrol but they both needed to get some fresh air. Their guest had been fed and Val's dad was keeping an eye on him. That left the ghost and the hunter free to leave the apartment. Danny had History homework that required his attention but he'd rather be out here with Val. It was peaceful and Valerie looked as relaxed as he felt.

He knew that the peace couldn't last and it didn't. A loud crackle came over their headsets and a gruff voice said, "Identify yourselves."

Val lazily raised her hand to her ear, pressing a button, and spoke. "It's Tango. How are you doing tonight Marchez?"

"Not too bad," the voice replied. "Heard you were busy a couple nights ago. Who's the other signature with you?" Danny smiled and answered through his own headset. "Hi Chez. Get your scanner fixed... it's Echo."

"Well, your ectoplasm contamination level is spiking again," the man told him over the comm.

"Ran into Skulker yesterday and Spectra after that," he responded. "I have _no_ idea why it would be high."

"Ignore the mood swings," Valerie interrupted him. "He was in a PVT yesterday."

"PVT?"

"Person-Vs-Tree," she explained. "Why don't you head over to the fountain and we will meet you there."

"Roger."

They turned their individual gliders east and reached the spot after Marchez. He and Val may have been the youngest ghost hunters on the patrol but definitely not the newest. Marchez (or Chez as he was called) had been in Amity for about three months now. Originally from California, he was one of the few newbies that had real life experience before Amity. A second generation hunter, he passed the orientation with flying colors and was out solo for his first week of patrol. Joe Marchez looked like the typical ghost hunter. He was nearing middle age, stocky and decked out with more electronics than a computer convention, he was everything the media toted as the 'average' ghost hunter.

Danny and his girlfriend definitely did not fit the average ghost hunter description. They hid their identities behind masks and didn't even use their real names out on patrol. Val went by the codename 'Tango' and he was 'Echo'. Both were names that were hard to trace back to their real identities or their alternative identities of The Red Hunter and Danny Phantom respectively. It was more practical to use the fake names, especially since they remained minors. Only a select few in charge of the patrol knew who they really were. It was the only thing protecting them from outrage concerning the citizens of Amity Park. True, they were lowly nerds at school but if it was found out that they were hunters the results would not be pretty. He and Valerie could only imagine the reactions.

They landed as Chez was waiting, leaning against the fountain's rim. As a professional courtesy he had already taken off his helmet. Dan pushed back the hood of his sweatshirt and took off his glasses, as did Val. The eyes were the only clue that a person was overshadowed (at least by a lower powered ghost). It wouldn't be the first time a ghost possessed a member of the patrol.

"Damn, she wasn't kidding," was the first thing out of Marchez's mouth. He winced at the blunt comment. Another typical trait of ghost hunters was their direct and often blunt honesty, even about delicate subjects like personal injury. Yesterday, Skulker threw him into a tree, slamming his head against a large branch before Danny could trap him in a Thermos. The impact did cause any permanent damage but it did leave a mark: the bruise was a purple-yellow mark went from his left eye to his hairline.

"Yes, I fell into a tree. Does everyone need to make a big deal about it?"

"Yes," was the double answer. Val and Chez both laughed at his snort of indignation.

He sat on his glider while his girlfriend and the other hunter collected themselves. They were an odd group, a hunter in the latest tech jumpsuit, Val trying to emulate a certain vampire hunter and him wearing a black hoodie and heavy jeans. His heavy black boots barely brushed the ground. The only thing bright about his outfit was the pair of ectogreen glasses that normally hid his eyes but were now clutched in his hand. Both he and Val left their ninja-like masks on so their identities could remain hidden.

"I've got a question I've been meaning to ask you both," Marchez said after calming down. "Why do you two have such high ecto readings?"

Danny sighed. It was a standard newbie question. He didn't blame the other hunter for asking. On outside scanners both he and Val showed up as powerful ghosts. Any resident ghost hunter had to tag their signatures as friendlies so there wasn't any confusion.

Val's excuse was a legit one. Deep within her was the ghost armor Technus had created for her. It was part of her spirit and caused weird side effects like decreased body temp and amazing night vision. It also gave her an edge in a desperate situation. She was literally never without a weapon.

Danny's ectoplasmic signature was harder to explain away. In the end he decided the simplest and easiest way was to tell those in charge of the patrol the truth. The Accident at the beginning of his freshman year caused an effect similar to radiation contamination. He claimed the ectoplasm was leftover from two years ago. He just forgot to mention the dying and half-ghost thing that also occurred because of the accident. Regrettably, they weren't able to tell anyone why they were part ghosts. So, in true hunter fashion they stuck to the short but blunt truth. "Technus" and "Accident" overlapped when they responded to the question.

"…And that's all you have to say." Chez gave them both a long look.

They looked at one another before Valerie answered the statement. "It's all we can say. The rest is classified."

"You guys have too much fun doing the mysterious stranger thing. Heck, when I signed on I had to tell them everything including my mom's maiden name. Why do you guys get away with not telling anyone anything?"

"We're special?" was Danny's hesitant answer. He didn't want to offend the older hunter. He guessed he didn't when the man laughed again.

"I guess that's one way to put it." A small beep and a staticy voice came out of the hunter's helmet. He shoved it back on to listen to the message. "As fun as this is, there are a couple mystery ghosts tearing up the school again. I'll talk to you later."

"Have fun," Val told him as Chez got into his Jeep. He nodded and started the engine.

"Later." With that he pulled away from the fountain and headed into the city, leaving Danny and Val alone in the park. His girlfriend sighed and jumped up on her glider. Danny followed suit and they started to fly in the direction of her apartment. He figured if no ghosts had shown up in the park now, there probably wouldn't be a chance now. Unfortunately, life just loved to prove him wrong.

The roar of the motorcycle reached their ears before any of their detectors went off, including Danny's ghost sense. Val groaned and muttered about the injustice of the world…and ice cream. He wasn't sure how they went together and he was afraid to ask.

"Think Marchez could get back here in time?" he asked.

The whine of an ectogun powering up was his answer. He switched to their private channel. The sound of the chopper got louder and a puff of blue steamed through his mask.

"You distract Johnny and Kitty while I deal with Shadow." He took command right away and Val gave him a look from behind her glasses.

"Are you sure it's them?" she asked.

In the distance they heard a crash and a car alarm went off. Following the crash, the lights lining the paths of the park went out in sequence, drawing closer to their position. "Do you always have to be right," she growled as she aimed her gun. Danny just shrugged and lifted up his bare hands. Without any hunters in the immediate area he could rely on his own powers instead of their inventions, something he preferred every time.

As the ghosts he predicted came into view, Val took her first shots. One of the blasts hit, taking out the rear wheel of the chopper. The bike fishtailed and slid to a stop about forty feet from their position. Johnny's eyes widened in surprise at the two hunters floating in the air above him.

"Shadow, Attack!" ordered the driver of the bike. The ground beneath the bike growled and the shadow of the bike lifted and dove straight at Val. Danny took the opening to blast Shadow's unprotected side. The ghost broke off its attack and headed straight for the halfa. Danny grinned behind his mask before calling out, "Hey ugly! Bet you can't keep up!" He shot off to the east. A roar followed him as Shadow chased. Not only did this give him more room to play but it also left Val alone so she could concentrate on the two ghosts left on the bike.

Danny pushed his glider closer to the ground and flinched as something cracked behind him. He risked a glance back and had to make a sharp left. A tree fell right where he had been flying a second ago. Distracted, he missed Shadow flying through a light pole. The bad luck did its magic and the light hit him across the back. Danny was knocked off his glider as Shadow hissed with pleasure.

The ghost drifted towards the earth to gloat over its fallen opponent. It stopped halfway when it looked at the ground, pristine and unmarred by the fallen hunter. A low hum froze it before green light pierced its chest. The hole slowly filled as it spun to look behind. The hunter floated in mid air, suspended without support. The hunter's now silver hair reflected the lights lining the park where it escaped his hat.

The Shadow wasn't the smartest ghost around but it was able to put two and two together. "Halfa," it growled out.

"Wow, you figured that out by yourself?" Sarcasm kick started the other ghost and he attacked. Danny dodged a fist and was able to fire a couple of ectobeams before getting hit himself. He tried to fly higher in the air but Shadow wrapped his tail around him. It immediately flung him to the down but he didn't have time to phase through the ground like he did during his first fall. He landed on the grass, rolling a few feet to lessen the shock. He stopped facing the sky and had to roll to the side as a new light pole crashed to the ground.

"What is up with you and streetlights?" he asked with a huff.

The ghost didn't respond, only floated in the air. He flew into the sky intending to attack, when the ghost shook its dreadlocks. It shifted to the side to reveal its prize, Danny's glider. The bad luck specter caressed the side and smirked at the younger hunter. Danny's eyes widened when he realized the ghost's intentions.

"No! Don't you dare do anything to my glider!" Last time a ghost messed with his glider it took Tucker a week to fix it… an entire week where he had to _walk_ during patrol.

Shadow was less than sympathetic to his plea. Its hissing laugh ground against the half-ghost's nerves and the black ghost let its hand drift closer to the glider's surface. One pass with its hand would do something to the finicky electronics. Danny's hands lit up with a green charge but he didn't let it loose yet. Shadow was way too close to the glider and it could still wreck the device. Their standoff could have lasted the rest of the evening if it wasn't for one tiny little fact. Both full and half ghost forgot the other fight going on in the park. Reality literally crashed into Shadow, via an out of control Johnny.

The biker ghost knocked into his Shadow, pushing them both through Dan's glider. Shadow's bad luck sparked and with an electronic whine the glider died and plummeted towards the earth. Danny dove after it. He ducked under the blue beam from the Fenton Thermos. Hands outstretched, he grabbed on to the smooth edge of the machine and phased them both thru the ground, becoming intangible right before the glider touched the grass. By the time he pulled the malfunctioning glider into the air, the park was clear and quiet.

Val was sitting on a park bench acting as if she was just out on a midnight stroll. The fight was obviously over; both Shadow and Johnny were trapped in the Thermos. Dropping his glider, he flopped down on the bench next to his girlfriend.

"Kitty?" he asked.

"Got her in the first five minutes," she said proudly.

Dan closed his eyes and rested his head on the back of the bench. A warm hand removed his hat ran through his silver locks, easing his forming headache. He took a hold of Tango's hand in his gloved one before he transformed into his human form. He opened his now blue eyes, searching Val's hidden face. Behind her red glasses he could just make out her unique eyes.

He was unable to resist her adrenaline filled look. He pulled down his mask and hers before pulling her close for a kiss. She melted into him and he felt at peace for a moment.

A frantic beeping interrupted their stolen kiss. He broke off laughing. Val managed to look offended. "I told you it was a conspiracy," she told him. "We get five minutes alone and either my dad or the patrol calls."

Danny secretly agreed but he didn't want to admit it. Instead he switched his headset to the main channel. The beep was the signal that someone at HQ needed to speak to them.

"Echo here," he said into the mouthpiece. "What is it Control?"

"We just picked up activity on the radar. Are you and Tango alright?" the anonymous voice asked.

"We're fine. Just ran into Johnny 13, Kitty and Shadow. We took care of them."

"I took care of them," Val whispered at his side. "You just played ghost tag." He stuck out his tongue as a response. Valerie switched her comm on. "No injuries, just some downed lights in the park and a totaled car somewhere nearby."

"Any idea where?" control asked.

"Nope," she responded, "just heard a crash and the car alarm."

"Well, guess what. You just earned a trip to HQ since it's not your patrol night." That earned a double groan and the mental scrabbling for an excuse so they wouldn't have to go there tonight and face the small mountain of paperwork that they would have to fill out.

Val straightened up and she triggered her comm. "But Echo's glider is fried. He had no way to get there."

"We will send someone to pick him up but you'll still have to come in Tango. Nice try though."

After giving control their coordinates Val gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before blasting off into the night. He wandered over to his own glider and hit the hidden reset button. The machine whined and rose a little into the air. He pulled a PDA out of a side pocket in his jeans and hooked into the control panel. It ran a couple of scans before giving him the good news. One of the circuit boards was fried. Easily fixed once Tucker got to it, he would have to bypass the bad circuit for the time being.

His headset crackled to life. "Echo, this is Control," the voice said apprehensively. Danny picked up on the change of tone right away.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I found you a ride. ETA four minutes." The woman spoke slowly, filling him with dread.

"Who is it?" he hesitantly inquired.

"Jack and Maddie in the GAV."

"No! Find someone else!" he started hyperventilate.

"Sorry, they insisted." Almost everyone knew that there was bad blood between him and the Fentons. Few knew the reason but they all knew that he wouldn't have anything to do with Amity's premier ghost experts.

Just as he was to respond Val's voice came over the comm. "Tango in-house," was all she said. The short code let the hunters know that someone had stopped at HQ. Danny ended the connection to Control with a ground out "Fine." He looked around the park, already seeing headlights heading towards him.

He was vulnerable. Val was out of range. She had just checked in at HQ to turn in her filled Thermos for a new one. There was also the inevitable paperwork since it wasn't their night of patrol and she could be tied up for the next half hour. He debated if he could restart his glider before the GAV got there. He turned to his motionless glider and pulled off an access panel. He started on the wiring, pulling wires and rearranging a couple of circuit boards. He wasn't an engineer but at least he was able to memorize some alternative wiring schemes to bypass the fried electronics.

He was on Wiring Scheme #3 when a heavy hand fell on his shoulder. His time was up. Not two seconds after the hand dropped to restrain him, his glider roared to life and hovered a little higher. He stared at the traitorous machine unable to look at the man behind him. The hand slowly spun him around. He took a step back, bumping into his stationary glider. Danny kept his eyes trained on the ground. The man said his name gently, forcing him to look up.

"Echo," the man repeated softly. "We need to talk to you." He didn't have any choice so he nodded. He raised his hand to his headset.

"Tango, I'm going to be off the comm for a couple of minutes."

"Are you ok?" Val's concern transmitted over the headset. In the background he could hear other voices and beeping.

"The Fentons need to talk to me," he said without looking away from the man.

"Oh…Call when you're back on."

"I will. Echo out." He hit a button and pulled the communication device out of his ear.

"Hello Dad." To the right of his dad he could see his mother walking from the GAV.

"Echo," she greeted him once she was close enough.

"It's ok, I'm off the comm." She nodded and pushed off her jumpsuit's hood. Her hair was beginning to gray but otherwise she was the same as the day he earned his place in the patrol. His dad removed his hood as well, looking unchanged from the last time they met.

"Danny!" his mom cried before trapping him in a hug. He didn't move, only closed his eyes in guilt. It had been a while since his parents last saw him. "The reports from yesterday said you took a nasty fall. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he reassured her.

"Let's see the damage, Son." Jack Fenton's tone stopped any of Danny's arguments.

He let out a sigh before complying. He pushed back his hood and hat and dragged his mask away from his face. Finally he removed his glasses to reveal his eyes. The bruise still had not faded since Marchez had seen it. There was a muffled gasp from his mother, tears of worry springing into her eyes.

"Why do you keep doing this?" his father demanded as he grabbed on to the teen's shoulder.

"Hey, hitting the tree was nowhere in my plans for yesterday."

"Do you know how this is making Jazz feel?" his dad asked. "She's obsessed with listening to the scanner. She thought you'd end up in the hospital." Danny swore silently. Skulker had attacked too fast for them to switch to a private channel. Anyone with a Patrol Scanner, or even a police scanner set to the right frequency, would have heard the entire fight over their comms.

"Do you have to make it always about her?" he countered.

"She's your sister no matter what's happened and if you love her," his father started.

"Don't you dare finish that sentence Jack Fenton?" Maddie finally interceded and managed to push her husband away from her son. Dan took advantage of the distraction to hop on his glider and pull up his hood and mask, hat stuffed into a pocket.

"Danny, where do you think you are going?" his father yelled, causing his mom to turn around.

He gave his parents a sad look before putting on his glasses.

"I'm leaving," and with that he triggered his glider. He rose up in the air before his parents could stop him.

"Danny, wait! Please!" He halted his ascent to listen to his mother's plea.

"Please come home. I'm sure if we talk about it we can work something out. It will be alright. Just give us a chance." The guilt tore at him but he had heard that promise before. As heavy of a burden as the guilt was, he already had his heart shattered by these two. He ignored the tears that betrayed his true feelings before he shot off into the night.

_

* * *

_

R&R

_Thanks to: My Eternal Facade , phantomshadowdragon, Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet , , klnolan, daddysgrl780, JPElles, teenyugiohpotterphantom, and Firehedgehog_

_Edited_


	6. Day 6 Wednesday

**Orbits of Glass  
**_By: Sqweakie the Wonder Mouse_

**AN:And just so everyone knows, Danny's parents **_**do not know that he's Danny Phantom**_**. I just don't know how to fit it into the story right now. **

* * *

Chapter Six

_**She hadn't been the same since Senior Prom. True, she put on a happy face at graduation and she spent time with her friends. But, late in the evening, she would sit by a window without saying a word. At home she didn't ramble on about the psychological damage of having ghost hunting parents or use big words that only Mom understood.**_

_**Sometimes she looked sad and confused, other times she was angry. However… slowly, she was returning to the Jazz we all know and love. What scared me were the times I would find her sitting by the window with that love sick look. Then she would see me and turn away, running to her room. That was the time after the kidnapping and before the accident. The twilight that would either break her or make her stronger. But fate never gave her a second chance... **_

**Danny's Journal**

_

* * *

_

He was in the passenger seat of Jazz's pink Volkswagen. The car was a junker and just the perfect thing for a freshman at college. His sister had turned down Ivy League schools, settling for a very respectable university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. There was only a week until she left for her first year of college and the two of them decided to spend the night out on the town, bonding.

"_So what movie do you want to see?" she asked offhandedly._

"_Don't you know what's out?" he asked his sister. She was the one that suggested they go to a movie and then get ice cream afterwards._

"_No," she said. " Do you?"_

"_No." _

_They both laughed and Jazz smiled like she used to. She was finally coming out of the funk that had lasted all summer. It was weird. She was going to college and he was going to be a sophomore. Soon she would be gone. She told him that she was just a phone call away… that she would just have to mother hen from a distance. It just wasn't the same for either of them. His sister was very anxious about leaving him alone with their parents. He also thought it was nerves talking. Neither he nor Jazz had spent more than a week or two away from home. College was a huge step for her._

_He leaned back in his seat before speaking._

"_We can always go to that weird kid's movie and enjoy it MiST style. You deconstruct the characters and we both make fun of the dialogue." His suggestion earned a glance from the driver._

"_What if the theater is packed?" was his big sister's concern._

"_Hasn't stopped us before." There were some horrendous movies out there that begged to be heckled while in a public place._

"_Hey, when did you learn the term 'deconstruct'?" Jazz asked him._

"_It's your bad influence. You're corrupting me," he answered dramatically._

_Her laughter sounded over the sound of the rain and windshield wipers. Up ahead the stoplight turned red and Jazz slid to a stop._

"_First time stopping at a stoplight?" The roads were slick with rain. She took the chance to look over and give him a dirty look. At his own hurt look, the giggling started again. Rain kept pelting the windshield while they laughed, waiting for the light to turn green._

_Light filled the interior of the car and Danny's heart stopped. The world spun around him in a tight circle and he became numb. His heart started and he opened his eyes. The interior of the car was impossibly small. Metal twisted against his side and the space that had become impossibly bright was now dark and claustrophobic._

_Jazz's laughter was gone and the rain replaced it. He tried to speak, to call out to his sister, but words escaped him. He tried a different technique. He turned his head to the left._

_His sister was still buckled in the driver's seat. Something was wrong with his vision, everything was skewed and leaning to one side. He blinked his eyes but everything stayed blurry and wrong._

_He reached out with his left arm and gently brushed his sister's shoulder. She didn't move or make a sound. Her hair was falling over her face. He couldn't see her face._

_Time moved faster. Voices overtook the sound of rain. They were loud and concerned but what they said didn't penetrate the haze in his head. Then a new sound covered the rain and the voices. The whine of metal cutting metal filled his compacted world._

_They pulled his sister away from the wreck first. The voices were shouting as she disappeared from sight. He had to wait in the car; they still had to cut his arm out of the wreck. Then it was his turn. He felt like a living rag doll. There was no control as he was dragged out of the car. Rain fell on his face as he was placed on the backboard and carted into the ambulance. A hand gently gripped his left hand. A face appeared above him, blocking out the rain. She said that they would take care of him, his angel in the rain._

_Things faded to black. The car and the female EMT disappeared. The rain stopped falling. As he faded he could finally hear. "1028, 15 year old male, restrained passenger," a man rattled off different vitals. "…coming in lights and siren."_

"_1020. Trauma Room Two is ready for you."_

_As they talked a third voice came over the radio accidentally. "Code Blue, Trauma One…Code Blue, Trauma One…" He knew who it was. No one said her name, the nameless Code already dying at the hospital. No one said her name so he said it for them._

"_Jazz…" his broken voice whispered to the sirens and the Paramedics. Under the breaking storm he whispered her name as the pain overtook him..._

The phantom pain woke him up. He stumbled to the bathroom and threw up in the toilet. Pounding footsteps followed him into the small room. Arms half supported him as he collapsed on the floor. His love drew him into her arms as he lost all control. He leaned backwards, resting the back of his head on her chest and sobbed. Val ran a hand through his hair. "It was only a dream," her soft voice told him.

Above him a light was turned on. He closed his eyes, an electric green with emotion. Valerie hugged him tighter as the soft sound of footsteps and crutches entered the bathroom.

"Robin, go back to the living room. You should be asleep," Damian's voice was gentle.

"I know," the boy said.

His voice shook Danny. It was worried and concerned and determined. The hero drew closer and the ghost unwillingly looked up. The boy's blue-green eyes looked at him with sympathy. It was too much.

He roughly pulled out of Valerie's grasp and dodged the others. He took off towards her bedroom. By the time he stepped out of the room he was dressed and the others were arranged in the narrow hallway all looking worried. Claustrophobia clawed at him and he fled. He ran out to the alarm of everyone assembled. He left so fast he missed the shocked look in Robin's blue eyes. His own green eyes didn't see the apartment at all. He was lost to the present.

He fled, he became Phantom in the hallway and flew into the twilight of Two A.M., fleeing the nightmare. But he couldn't fly fast enough. He didn't have the power to change the past. He was already too late to save Jazz.

oOo

Robin leaned on the crutches the way that the physical therapist always yelled at him about. He didn't have the strength to stand alone.

He knew what he saw, the green eyes haunted him. They glowed in the dim hallway, filled with pain. Not the light blue of daytime. He was shirtless too. Robin had never seen the other boy without a shirt. The scars on his bare chest and arms whispered at stories not yet told.

He was distracted when Val went into one of the bedrooms. Something compelled him to follow her. She did not speak, only sank onto the bed holding her head in her hands. Robin looked around and an open book caught his eye. He picked it up off the desk and read the last couple of paragraphs. _'But fate never gave her a second chance...'_

A picture fluttered out of the journal as he started to turn the page. It fell to the floor face down. A dark hand picked up the picture before taking the book away from him. The photography replaced the book in his hands. There were two people. One person was Danny, smiling wide for the camera. The other person was a girl with red hair and light eyes. He tore his eyes from the photo, his own bright eyes seeking answers from another face.

"You have her eyes," she answered the question she didn't ask. "They remind Danny of her."

"What's her name?" he quietly asked. They looked so happy in the undated photo.

"Jazz." The name didn't mean anything to him. It only gave a title to the stranger in the photo.

"Is that why he ran?" He made his way over to the bed and sat down next to the other teen.

"You really can't run from your memories." She said cryptically.

"But you can try." He understood that feeling too well.

"Why are you here Robin?" she asked. She used his name, a first for her.

"I'm running, just like him." These people saved him but that didn't mean he trusted them with his secrets.

She looked down at her lap and the book sitting on her legs. "He…" she stopped. "The therapist said it would be easier if he wrote all his thoughts and memories down. He said it would be easier to deal with."

"That's a good idea." She made a noise of agreement. He searched her face seeing the emotions no longer hidden under the surface.

"And you're frightened?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Danny is …I worry for him so much. I mean… a lot of things happened to him in a short time. Any one of them could have pushed over the edge."

"He remembered something from his past?" Robin questioned her. "Is that why he freaked out?"

"It could have been a dozen different things." The confession sounded like it pained her.

Robin felt torn. There were so many questions he needed to ask. The whole family was a huge mystery. It brought out the inner detective in him. The silence grated on his nerves. Valerie started speaking again, drawing him back out.

"I'm scared. I stopped him from self destructing the first time. I… he wanted me to kill him. He begged me but I couldn't hurt him. I watched over him after that, rescued him from his nightmares. He blamed himself about Jazz but it wasn't his fault." She finally broke down. He hesitantly put an arm around her shoulders.

"I shouldn't be telling you this," she sobbed, hating herself.

Robin didn't have any words of comfort. He was starting to get scared. He was over his head.

An image of green eyes flashed in his vision…He was definitely over his head.

oOo

The room was dark and cold. Candles made a circle and illuminated the girl in the center. The dim light reflected off her gray skin and sparkled off the sweat that dripped from her brow. Outside the light three figures waited without a sound…almost.

"What's taking so long," Beast Boy whined.

"Just be quiet. She's trying to work," Cyborg reprimanded.

"If the two of you don't stop you won't be talking ever again." The deadpan voice shut them up fast.

A quiet chant began again, different from her normal 'Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos'. The candles flickered unsteadily. They died for a breath before flaring to life as white flames. Raven's eyes opened to reveal white orbs that did not move. She didn't blink.

Hope stirred in the hearts of the conscious Titans. Only this morning Raven came across a spell to seek out missing souls in their sleep. They had to wait for nightfall to search out Robin. They waited with hope for the demoness to end her trance and bring back news. Finally her eyes closed and with and exhale all the flames vanished. The normal lights were turned on by an unseen hand.

"I'm sorry." Her voice startled them all.

"Were you unable to see anything Friend Raven?" Starfire asked dejectedly.

"He's alive and is towards the east. He woke up before I was able to find out anything more."

"But that's good, right? He's out there." Beast Boy spoke hopefully.

"At least we have an idea where to look. We know he was in Gotham City when he disappeared. Maybe he's still around there." Both BB and Star perked up at Cyborg's logic.

"Does this mean we are leaving?" Star's eyes were large with hope. Cyborg nodded and she squealed with delight.

"I call shotgun," Beastboy shouted as they both ran out of the room. Only Raven and Cyborg were left in the room.

"What did you really see, Rae?" Raven looked guilty but covered it up as she sat on the edge of Robin's bed. They were in his room to perform the ritual. She looked around the room before answering Cy's question.

"He's hurt. I was able to tell that before I was forced out of his mind…I ended up in someone else's dream, someone who was physically near Robin. I don't know who it was but he's not human."

"Do you have anything on this other guy?" he asked.

"No. But he's powerful." The answer made the Titan pause and stare out the lone window in the room. In the reflection he could see himself and behind him Raven remained on the bed.

"What did you see in the dream? Maybe we can get some leads from it."

"There was a car accident," she said slowly. "It could have been anywhere and happened to anyone."

"So no clues," he elaborated for her.

"Just that the driver was a girl named Jazz." Cyborg glanced back at her before returning to the view outside the window. A storm was brewing, both figuratively and literally.

"Pack up," he finally ordered. "The Easterners will be here in an hour and after they're settled we're heading to Gotham."

"So we're going to ignore Batman's advice to stay away?"

"The guy is emotional and he's not thinking very clearly." He paused. "Whoa, that's a sentence I never thought I'd say." The half robot left the room to finish packing and to put things in order. Raven was alone; the smoke from the spent candles her only companions.

She took Cyborg's place at the window. An unwanted emotion clawed at her heart. Her emotion had a name that she told the coming storm.

"Robin…where are you…answer me…Damn it!" Behind her there was a crack and the overhead light exploded. Any other time he would have answered her but her communicator and mind were silent. Lighting flashed and in that light she could see Robin's damaged face. In her heart she was afraid for him.

_

* * *

_

R&R

_AN: I'm off to buy an evil Birthday Card for my sister._

_Thanks to : Fuzzytoesocks, Faith-Catherine, Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, mimiru1618, AirGirl Phantom, My Eternal Façade, teenyugiohpotterphantom, Darth Frodo, Tetsukon, WingsofMorphius, fang 50, Firehedgehog, MiaRose 156, spirit1s, daddysgrl780, JPElles, Dragondancinroom and Mizuki hikari._

_Edited February 13th, 2006: Thanks to My Eternal Facade for pointing out the confusing beginning. I just changed a couple things so the transitions are easier. You get a gold star for today..._

_Edited 12/6/08_


	7. Day 7 Thursday and Day 8 Friday

**Orbits of Glass  
**_By: Sqweakie the Wonder Mouse_

* * *

Chapter Seven

_**Memory Triggers…**_

_**It's weird how little details set off memories. The smell of maple syrup or cigarettes always reminds me of my Grandma. She died when I was seven. The song 'Better Days' by Citizen Kane is the Fenton Family Road Trip song no matter where I am. The sound of frogs means summer camp. Robin's eyes remind me of Jazz.**_

_**His eyes are like my sister's. They are both a unique blue color. It is almost a green but not quite a true green because of all the blue. It's not only the color that reminds me of Jazz. His eyes looked at me with the same compassion and concern that Jazz's did when she used to speak to me. That one moment in the bathroom brought back the memory of the old Jazz.**_

_**Robin is a lot like my sister. I guess that's what I'm getting at. They are fighters but now are damaged. Why he is in Amity, he won't tell me. I don't think he's ready to deal with whatever it is. Like Jazz, he has his problems. He even deals with them like she used to do. Like Jazz, he sits by the windows and watches the outside. Jazz did that when she thought of the past. I wonder what he thinks about…**_

Danny stopped writing with a sigh. After a quick proofread he shoved the scrap paper into a hidden pocket. The short paragraphs would get transferred to his journal when he got home. The book contained memories and observations that he put to paper so he wouldn't scream in the real world.

The therapist never read the journal but he did give Danny 'assignments' to write about. There was an actual list in the very front of the book. They were little diving boards when he needed to get an idea out of his system but didn't know how to approach it. It was cheesy but it helped.

He never made it back to the apartment last night. He knew that Val and Damian wouldn't expect him back anytime soon. Sometimes the only way to cope with his nightmares was to get out of the apartment (or house depending on where he was staying) and fly around. He had done speed laps around Amity after leaving the complex. It took a while for him to calm down enough that he could mentally string two sentences together. He spent his time flying trying to figure out what exactly upset him. Was it the dream or something else? Around lap seventeen he figured out the trigger was their unexpected house guest.

Robin disrupted their routine and was a victim of Spectra's. True, Jazz had been victimized by Bertrand, but there was a parallel in their situation. There was just something in Robin that reminded him of his sister. It wasn't just the eyes, it was… The closest thing to describe it was 'broken confidence'. Like they had both been the most confident people in the world before their respective ghosts got a hold of them.

Sunlight crept over the horizon, signifying the end of the night. Wednesday had spent itself and now Thursday was dawning. He lifted off the roof that he had perched on to write. He looped around one of the smaller skyscrapers, his reflection absent in the mirrored windows. Sunlight passed through his transparent body and reflected off the building, temporarily blinding him.

Taking a couple of warm-up laps around the stationary building, he made up his mind and turned a new direction. He headed for a residential neighborhood a short distance away. The scenery became familiar and a neon sign greeted him as he stopped at a seemingly random intersection. A faint smile graced his lips as he viewed his home. On the outside everything looked the same.

Taking a breath, he flew into his old room and transformed into is human form. He sadly looked around. It was a shrine for the child he used to be before real and supernatural problems took over. Drifting past model rockets and posters, he phased through the door. The house was silent. It was too early for any of the residents of this house to be awake.

In the hallway he could see that his parents' door was closed. He was unable to look in without setting off alarms so he settled for listening for sounds from outside of their room. Snores drifted through the door to reassure him that his father was asleep. If his mother wasn't there then she would be in the lab out of his way. He started down the hallway, dancing a complicated path around ghost sensors and passive alarms.

He took the stairs to the first floor. At the bottom he moved in a new pattern in the living room to avoid the sensors there. Finally, in the kitchen he was able to walk normally. His parents never installed sensors since the lab was so close and they stored ectoplasm samples in the fridge.

He bypassed the stairs to the lab in favor for a room neglected for years. At one time it was an office, a forgotten space in the house. It wasn't empty any longer. With a deep breath and steeled nerves he grabbed the door knob. This was the first door he had to open in the house and he knew that this room had an alarm system all of its own. He pushed the door open slowly and repressed his ghost powers as much as he could. In a practiced motion he sidestepped into the room while slapping the alarm cutoff. A single low note escaped but it ended quickly. Luckily, it wasn't enough to awake the single occupant in the room.

A dim light glowed on the desk, casting its faint illumination to the corners of the room. He made his way deeper without a word, circling around a parked wheelchair and stopping by the bed. In the center was Jazz. Just looking at her you couldn't tell there was anything wrong. There were no visible scars from the car accident. All the lacerations and bruises healed without permanent damage. The real damage, however, was on the inside.

Something had gone terribly wrong that rainy night two summers ago. The doctors were not sure exactly when 'it' happened. One minute Jazz had been a week out from college and the next she would never walk again. They never decided if it had happened during the car crash or if it was the events that followed that caused her paralysis. After she had awakened and after they did a battery of tests, the doctors found out that she had compression fractures in three of her vertebrae. A bone chip broke off the body of one vertebra and lodged itself in her spinal cord, severing a couple key nerves in the process.

It left her without use of her legs, bound to a wheelchair the rest of her life. She took it hard even with Danny and the rest of her family and friends supporting her. They tried their hardest to help her. No one knew that during that time Bertrand (Spectra's little assistant) decided to make a nightly meal out of her pain. The result was devastating and Danny hadn't been able to deal with Jazz. He loved his sister but there were hurt feelings on both sides. Now the only time he could talk to her was when she was asleep. It ended with a lot of one-sided conversations but he couldn't abandon her as much as she wanted him to.

He quietly changed to his ghost self and settled on her empty nightstand. He came occasionally during these early morning hours. He didn't dare come when she was awake, too afraid of her reaction. He wished he had the courage to wake her, to talk to her face to face. Instead he began telling her about the boy they found in the park with eyes like hers as Jazz slept.

**oOo**

It was finally Friday, the day that the stitches could come out. One week since the disastrous night in Gotham and his flight to Amity Park. Nine days since the funeral. Almost two weeks since he found out that _he _was dead.

"Just two more and then we are all done," a voice interrupted his internal monologue.

"Sure," he grunted in response. There wasn't much he could do to speed up the process besides ignore the pull of the stitched and the freezing temperature in the apartment. It was something that seemed to be a constant. It was only warm during the day. The minute the sun started setting, and Danny or Val returned, the temperature would plummet.

Danny had returned just after four in the afternoon. It had surprised him and Damian when the boy opened the door and acted like he hadn't disappeared days before. There was no explanation as to where he had gone, Damian refused to ask and Robin didn't know how to bring up the subject. He was just back in their lives, taking over care of Robin while the older man left for the evening.

Without a word to explain where he had gone, Danny had just motioned for him to lay down before he got to work. That led to his current position: Robin Lying on the one couch in the apartment (minus his shirt) while Danny sat on one of the kitchen chairs. The dark-haired teen was hunched over, preoccupied with the delicate task of removing the stitches that had made a neat row on his stomach.

It was quiet as he finished up. There was no final flourish, just the statement that he was done. Robin was allowed to sit up and pulled the shirt back on. Danny didn't look at him as he cleaned up the used thread and gauze.

"Thanks," Robin said. Danny grunted a response as he threw away the used material. He returned to the living room and flopped down on the couch next to Robin.

"Boy, this is awkward," Danny said with a hint of humor at the very awkward silence.

"We didn't get off to a good start. Any way we can start over?" Robin asked as he turned towards the other boy. Dan smiled in relief. He nodded and let out a small laugh. "I had the same idea." He cleared his throat and sat up straight.

"Hi, I'm Daniel Fenton. Danny for short."

"Robin Price," he responded. "My friends call me Rob."

"Nice to meet you Rob," Danny said as he held out his hand. Robin reached out and shook the offered hand with a smile of his own.

"Aww, isn't that cute." They both jumped apart. Standing in the doorway was Valerie, school bag dangling from her hand. She had a huge smile on her face as Danny threw a pillow at her. She easily dodged the projectile and entered the apartment.

"Don't you ever make any noise," he growled though his smile was just as big as hers. He left the couch and approached her. "Just give us a minute, Rob." He grabbed the girl's arm and the two disappeared into the kitchen.

"God, I'm glad you're back," he could hear the girl's relief even from the couch. "Where have you been?"

"The spare room at Sam's. I'm sorry that I made you worry."

"You better be sorry. I…" She was suddenly silenced and Robin felt it prudent to turn on the TV and ignore the 'conversation' in the next room over. They returned a couple of minutes later, Valerie's hair messier than before and Danny looking very happy. With that, the tension of the past week broke. Danny and Val settled onto the couch next to Robin. They were just normal kids watching a movie. For the first time in months Robin felt normal and safe. He was stretched out with his feet propped upon the kitchen chair. Danny and Val were cuddling to his left. Unfortunately the peace didn't last.

A loud buzz cut through the air, startling the occupants. Val pushed herself off the couch and made her way to the buzzing comm next to the door. "Grey residence," she said into the speaker while pressing the button.

"Valerie, it's your Grandfather," a male voice said through the speaker.

"What are you doing here?" she asked in a panic.

"I was in the neighborhood and your Grandmother and I thought it would be a nice surprise if we stopped by. We brought supper."

"Dad's not home." She was stalling and looked over at the two boys on the couch helpless. Robin looked over at Danny and he seemed just as worried.

"Valerie, just let us up." The voice sounded agitated. She sighed in defeat and pressed a different button.

"Damn," she swore at the door, slamming her fist next to the comm. Danny went to her side and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Do you want me to stay for moral support?"

"No. You'll make things worse, unfortunately," she said. "He hates you enough as it is." He pulled her into a hug.

"Call me if you need a distraction or when they're gone, kay?" he said.

"Ok." She kissed him softly. He pulled away and heading out of the room.

"Robin, you'll have to go with him," she said as she pulled him off the couch. "My grandfather is very old-fashioned. He would freak if he found a boy here without my dad being home."

"Are you going to be ok?" Rob asked. She didn't answer as a knock sounded on her door.

"Second door on the right," she whispered and pushed him towards the hallway. He didn't look back as he entered the door she pointed out. He closed it behind him. Turning around he could immediately tell he was in a girl's bedroom. Danny was off to one side picking up clothes and folding them into a drawer.

"There are shoes and a jacket on the bed," Danny whispered sharply as he closed the drawer and then the closet doors nearby. Robin slipped on the jacket and did the best he could with the shoes. By the time he finished Danny had picked up the room and was slinging a backpack over his shoulder.

"Now what?" he asked quietly. Even through the closed door he could hear voiced in the main room of the apartment. He had a feeling that they had to get out of there before they were discovered by Valerie's grandparents.

"We're taking the back door." Danny pushed open the window and climbed out onto the fire escape. Robin followed him and they made their way to the ground. Danny kicked the final ladder down and jumped the last couple of feet.

"So where are we heading?" Robin asked after following him down the ladder.

"We're going to my house," the other boy said over his shoulder. "My mom has some of my old clothes packed away. They might fit you better." Rob nodded at the logic. The borrowed t-shirt of Dan's hung listlessly around his frame, the track pants barely staying on. Valerie's clothes probably would have fit him since they were close to the same height but there was no way he was going to wear a girl's clothing. Well, there was that one time…

"So why did we have to sneak out?" Robin asked. Val had seemed worried and he was curious as to why.

"Val's Grandfather doesn't like me," Danny told him.

"She said that he was 'old-fashioned'."

"That's one way to put it," he said with a chuckle. "He didn't like the idea of her having a boyfriend. Then he met me."

"And the fireworks flew?" Robin asked, figuring out where this was going.

"'A white boy dating his baby girl?' It was ugly."

"What were you doing that left an impression?" Danny flushed a bright red. Robin stared.

"It's not what you think." The Titan just raised an eyebrow.

"The old fart jumped to conclusions," the flushing boy tried to defend himself. "That's all."

"Why would he think anything was going on?" a smile finding a way on his face.

"Umm…ididnthaveashirtonandwewerealoneinherbedroom… Oh Look! There's the bus stop!" Danny practically ran to a bus stop to cover up his embarrassment. The titan just shook his head as he followed. The stop was simply a bench under an overhang incase it was raining. Robin leaned against the back of the bench as Danny collapsed on the seat and they began to wait.

It started off as a tingling on his neck. He shifted his feet wishing that the bus would just get here. Even better, that he still had his belt or even his bo staff. Danny remained oblivious on the bench. He couldn't stand still so he started to pace behind the bench. Apparently this caught Dan's attention, causing him to tip his head backwards. His glasses slipped to his forehead while he watched him pace.

"Are you ok?" he asked Robin. Blue eyes pierced his own.

"We have to go!" His order finally caused a reaction. Danny sat straight up and pushed down his sunglasses. He studied the shorter boy for a second and nodded.

"Alright," and without another word he stood up and tugged Rob down the street. He was surprised that the other teenager didn't question his behavior. If he were Danny he would have at least asked why. Instead he asked a different question.

"You don't think I'm paranoid?" he had to ask, curiosity prodding him.

"You were uncomfortable," Danny told him. "That was enough."

"Why?" It wasn't enough of an answer for the Robin.

"Haven't you wondered why we haven't left you by yourself?" Danny's change in subject caught him off guard. Rob shrugged in a non-answer. He hadn't thought about it. There were more important topics to consume his time. Danny sighed and started to explain.

"The ghost that attacked you belongs to a special family of emotion-affecting-and-feeding ghosts. Spectra's effects can last long after she's back in the Ghost Zone. We're not exactly sure how long she had you under her control. The longer it is, the more severe the lasting depression. People are watched for weeks in case there are any problems."

"How bad could it get?" he asked unconvinced.

"Eleven suicide attempts, two successful. One of the attempts was my sister."

"Oh," was all Robin could say.

"I'm one of the attempts too," Dan said with a grim smile. "Ironically, that makes me an expert in spotting dangerous behavior."

That stopped him dead. Danny kept going so he sprinted to catch up. He kept talking casually despite the subject.

"Spectra wasn't responsible for that one," Dan elaborated. "_That_ ghost was Bertrand. Jazz and I were his last victims. I made sure of that." The temperature dropped a couple of degrees. The Titan looked over at his companion and he caught the look.

"Sorry," he said apologetically. "It's still hard to deal with. It still hurts. She wasn't happy after I stopped her attempt and confronted her about it."

"But you saved her life. She could have died." It wasn't often in his line of work that the rescuee was ungrateful.

"Ironically she was screaming the same thing as she threw a telephone at me. She is better in that regard, she's moved up to blunt objects instead of sharp ones." They lapsed into silence for a couple of blocks.

"So," Danny drawled out. "Why did the bus stop freak you out?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Robin told him.

"It would be better if you talk about it. I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume that public transportation doesn't upset you." Danny waited for an answer as they walked. He didn't have to wait for long.

"It was at a bus stop in Gotham...where some guys jumped me. I woke up at your place the next day." The silence that followed was very awkward. They continued until they reached a small park with a playground and swings. By this time Robin had started to limp and their pace had slowed. Danny entered the abandoned playground.

The titan took a seat on one of the swings. He sighed as he was able to get the weight off his sore ankle. Danny chose to sit on the merry-go-round in the center. Wind pushed the empty swings next to him, drawing Danny's attention towards him and the swings. Robin took a steadying breath and asked the question that had been bothering him on and off the past week.

"So what exactly happened to me? The events after Gotham City are a little fuzzy." Danny crossed his legs and stared off into space. Rob almost thought he didn't hear the question but then Danny started to speak.

"The short version is that a couple of Ghost Hunters found you in the park. Spectra was attacking you, draining you of emotions. They captured her and brought you here. Val, Damian and I have been taking care you since." He nodded along with the story. It meshed with the partial memories and weird dreams he was having but much more happened in his dreams. There was a woman who flew after the ghost. There was the man who was next to him while the shadow came after him. There was a bright green light that pierced his dreams. The memory was just out of reach, leaving an important gap. Dan's story filled a small part.

The tranquility of evening was broken by a crash and screams. Danny stood up and turned towards the sound. Robin winced as another scream pierced the air, instincts trying to kick in. Danny's back was to him but he could see that he was shivering in the warm air.

"Stay here," Danny ordered. "Whatever you hear, I want you to stay here. I'm gonna get help."

"I can help." Robin started to stand but froze at Danny's next sentence.

"You're hurt. Stay here, Please."

"Alright," he nodded even though Danny couldn't see it.

Danny pulled something out of his pocket. He half turned and tossed the object. "If I'm not back in ten, call 911. Tell them that there is a ghost attack near Westhill Park." He clutched the phone as Danny ran out of the playground, leaving Robin on the swings. He took a left and disappeared behind a building.

"Sure. I'll stay here…for ten seconds." He shoved the cell phone in his pocket and left the swings to the wind and ghosts of the past. He was going to find Danny and find out what was going on.

_

* * *

_

R&R

_Thank you to AirGirl Phantom, Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, My Eternal Façade, Mr. Snuffles, JPElles, Tetsukon, Darth Frodo, WingsOfMorphius, Mia Rose 156, Firehedgehog, The Great Susinko, teenyugiohpotterphantom, spirit1s, Mizuki hikari, phantomshadowdragon, Gmasangel, Darkest Reflection, Asilla, silvermoonphantom, and Haikari Archersight_.

_Edited 12/6/08_


	8. Day 8 cont

**Orbits of Glass  
**_By: Sqweakie the Wonder Mouse_

* * *

Chapter Eight

_The peace of evening was broken by a crash and scream. Danny stood up and turned towards the sound. Robin winced as another scream pierced the air, instincts trying to kick in. Danny's back was to him but he could see that he was shivering in the warm air._

"_Stay here," Danny ordered. "Whatever you hear, I want you to_ _**stay here**__. I'm gonna get help."_

"_I can help." Robin started to stand but froze at Danny's next sentence._

"_You're hurt. Stay here, Please."_

"_Alright," he nodded even though Danny couldn't see it._

_Danny pulled something out of his pocket. He half turned and tossed the object. "If I'm not back in ten, call 911. Tell them that there is a ghost attack near Westhill Park." He clutched the phone as Danny ran out of the playground, leaving Robin on the swings. He took a left and disappeared behind a building._

"_Sure. I'll stay here…for ten seconds." He shoved the cell phone in his pocket and left the swings to the wind and ghosts of the past. He was going to find Danny and find out what was going on..._

Robin ran after Danny, his sore ankle ignored. Looking down a side street a flash of red caught his attention. He entered the dark alley to investigate. Leaning against a half-rusted dumpster was Danny's backpack, its owner absent.

He left the bag where it lay, trying to figure out which way Danny disappeared. He looked around the alley before spying a rickety fire escape with its ladder partially down. He pulled the ladder down to the ground and kicked debris away from the base. Taking a chance that he might be wrong and lose precious time, Robin climbed the escape three floors up until he reached the empty roof. He feared that he had chosen the wrong direction until an emerald light passed by his head and hit a vent next to him. Following the path of the stray shot he ran to the northern edge of the building.

Ash and dust coated the street below and filled the air. The haze created a surreal landscape of unrecognizable objects only lit up by the numerous green blasts flickering below. The lights streaked up and down the street from two different sources, one visible and one hidden by the dust.

The creature he could see looked like hell's version of a phoenix. The giant bird was mostly black, green flames traveled across its body and tattooed its wings. Red eyes burned above a beak sporting jagged teeth and it was surrounded by a subtle green aura. It hissed as green light filled its mouth. The light shot away from the bird and illuminated the street as it headed towards a target Robin couldn't see. Flames smashed into the pavement, throwing smoke into the air and adding to the artificial fog already created.

"Hey, Eagle Eyes! I bet you can't hit the broad side of a barn!" a voice taunted from the impact zone. It sounded familiar but without a face Robin couldn't place the voice. The phoenix shrieked and dove towards the ground. It pulled up sharply and chased something towards Robin's building. Robin backed up until a set of stairs sheltered him from the blasts. With the new protection he looked across the roof and got his first glimpse of the firebird's prey. It was humanoid, a blur of black and white tearing around much faster than the phoenix.

It dove into a side street and disappeared into the dust before reappearing and striking the bird. As it had passed over his head a second time the figure rolled on its back and shot a green beam skyward. Unlike the bird's attacks, this one struck the left wing. When the phoenix crashed to the rooftop the figure stopped and floated in midair, its attention solely on the fallen bird. 'It' was a boy with white hair, face marked by soot and the dust from the street below. He wore a one piece jumpsuit made of black and white. But what stood out in Rob's mind, more than the dirt-streaked face or the jumpsuit, was the pair of glowing eyes that matched the unholy fires of the bird.

The boy smirked at the injured phoenix. "Tag, you're it," he shouted, his words punctuated by another blast of green light. He circled around the bird and flew towards the street where Robin first saw the fight. The phoenix didn't take kindly to the taunts or the blasts. The fire around its body flared and it chased after the boy.

Robin abandoned his spot to watch the few remaining seconds of the fight. Leaning over the rooftop's edge he could see that the boy was at ground level, flying just a few feet above the street. He easily dodged blasts from his opponent but he was flying a lot slower, zigzagging around and looking at the ground.

Rob winced in sympathy when one of the bird's attacks finally struck the boy in the back, driving him against a brick wall and dropping him to the ground. He stood up slowly, leaning against the building for support. The firebird landed only a few feet away and blocked any attempt to escape. The boy took a step to the side but stopped when the bird hissed loudly. He froze, only moving his head, seeking a way to escape. With no warning he broke to the right, running full out, catching the bird by surprise. He tripped but was able to get up and immediately rolled out of the way of a near hit. Running again, he slid to a stop and grabbed something off the ground. Spinning around he pointed the object at the phoenix.

"Bye, Bye Birdie!" he yelled. A blue light erupted from the object and it surrounded the phoenix. It shrieked and tried to fly up but it was pulled towards the boy instead. Dust spun in the air and swirled around the trapped creature. With one last cry it disappeared along with the light. All that was left was the boy in the middle of the street. As he floated up off the ground, Robin decided to get out of the area. He had been gone too long and Danny might have already returned to the park. He climbed back down the fire escape, trying to think of an excuse if Danny was there.

He jumped off the ladder but didn't move away from the building, hands still on the rungs. A new thought occurred to him, something that had been bothering him for a couple of days. He had seen those green eyes before. The view of his face only lasted a couple of seconds but he was sure he had seen those disturbing glowing eyes. Then it came to him.

He saw those eyes in the middle of the night, after an upset Danny stormed out of the apartment after a nightmare. When he left, he didn't have the light blue eyes. His eyes were green and they were glowing.

Robin's own eyes widened. It was freaky but it made sense. Sometimes a person with feelings that were unacceptable by society projected those feeling and attributes onto another person. Danny acted hostile to superheroes. What if he was born with powers and feared discovery? By acting hostile and sharing the same mindset as the town, he would be less suspect to being different. What if Danny was the same boy with the white hair? Could his host be a super in hiding? Amity Park was the one place on earth where a super would be safe if his secret never slipped.

Robin finally turned from the ladder and limped back to the park. Right now wasn't the time to solve this little mystery. He would have to wait until he was alone to figure this out.

**oOo**

Ash and dust swirled around the vortex as he drew the ghost into the thermos. With one last shrill cry the firebird vanished. A satisfied smiled brightened up his dirty face. It was one of those easy, satisfying victories where casualties and property damage stayed minimal and his collection of bruises remained small.

Danny pulled the Thermos' strap over his head. The weight settled across his back while sweat dripped down his face and chest. The cooling sweat provided relief to his overheated skin. He swiped a glove across his forehead, leaving more soot on his face. The Ghost Phoenix barely got a hit in but its attacks produced a lot of excess heat in the area. He was still in the air, trying cool down before he had to fly back to the park and explain to Rob where he disappeared to.

The sound of jets behind him caught him by surprise. He swore to himself and cursed his luck. He had a hunch who exactly was behind him and there was no time to fly away or pretend he was invisible. Trying to act cool he turned in midair to greet the one Patrol Hunter he liked least of all. 'Echo' may avoid the Fentons like the plague but it was nothing compared to Phantom's hate for 'Goldie'.

He hated the hunter so much that he would like nothing more than to banish her to the most isolated regions on earth. Flashy, narcissistic and gun-happy; she was the star of the Patrol. Goldie usually took the spotlight and credit for other people's work, Danny loathed her in every possible way. He fought against her appointment to the patrol. She likewise fought against the Patrol's acceptance of friendly ghosts' help. If she had her way, he would have been forced into the Ghost Zone by now.

"Phantom," she greeted him coldly.

"Gloria," he said in return. He crossed his arms defiantly, unaffected by her tone.

"Don't call me that!" she hissed. Her perfectly painted lips pulled back into a sneer. Everyone else called her 'Goldilocks' or just 'Goldie'. Danny preferred to use her real name and it irked her every time. As he smirked she narrowed her eyes at him with hate spoiling the angelic face. She was very young for a hunter, only eighteen, but she couldn't hold the title of youngest ghost hunter of Amity Park. He and Val were the youngest, only fifteen when they joined, and Phantom had his own special place in the Patrol.

Her looks and her ability to con any living creature allowed her to access the latest technology and got her as far as she was. For example, most hunters patrolled on foot or in land vehicles. Gliders were used by only a couple of hunters like himself. The majority of the hunters had a hard time with balancing and the foot pedals on the gliders. They preferred the more conventional methods of travel but advances in the area of transportation did happen. The latest mode of personal transportation was a set of jets mounted in a carbon-shell suit that mimicked the way ghosts moved. The wearer could literally fly. Instead of taking the time to perfect the system, it was wasted on the blond skank.

The last time the he and Goldie butted heads it was over that stupid suit. She flirted her way into the project and then the suit itself while he fought its use for ghost hunting. He told the Patrol it wouldn't be a practical device. She had scoffed at his opinion saying she could fly it better than a ghost could fly naturally. The challenge made, he proceeded to prove how wrong the woman was. As Phantom, he easily flew faster and out maneuvered the suit in close combat. He even lasted longer than the fuel the jets utilized. In fact, most ghosts could out fly her. The only strong point was that it looked good on the nightly news.

She wore that test suit right now. It was the only way she was able to look him straight in the eye at fifty feet above the ground. While he was motionless in the air (except for the breeze that blew his bangs to the side) she hovered in a six foot area as the jets tried to compensate for the wind. Sunlight reflected off the metallic gold paint on the suit, very flashy but very useless. An array of gold plated weapons weighed her down and caused the jets to whine slightly.

Their staring contest ended when a hoarse voice yelled at them from the street. "Hey, get your butts down here." Goldie sighed before making her way unsteadily to the ground. She took it slow, the twitchy jet system fighting her the entire way down. Danny waited until she dropped the last couple of feet for a hard landing before he started his descent. He dived smoothly but he didn't stop at the street. He dove into the pavement and came up behind the hunters before touching down.

They whirled around to see him jumping up onto the hood of a jeep painted, you guessed it, gold. The Patrol's emblem stood out in a solid black on the doors. His new perch let him rest while leaving him above eye level of the two humans. Goldie bristled at seeing him touching her precious vehicle. The man just shrugged and nodded his head in greeting.

While Goldie's style was over the top with a golden touch, her male partner was completely understated. Tennyson wore a black jumpsuit with gold accessories to appease his gold-obsessed partner. Tenni was older, face starting to wrinkle and hair showing hints of grey. He talked little but overall was a decent guy and a competent hunter.

"This was supposed to be our ghost. We've been patrolling here for days," Goldie whined without letting her partner speak. Danny rolled his eyes. Some hunters hated it when Phantom showed up and got in the middle of their business. Goldie just hated him in general.

"There was a ghost here," Danny said unapologetically. "I happened to be here. I took care of it. What's the problem?"

"I don't know how you get off, Ghost," she growled. "You're place isn't among the living. Go back to your little green hell and leave the work to the _real_ hunters."

"As enlightening as you conversations always are, I have to go. I just stuck around so you would know that the ghost was trapped." He jumped off the jeep's hood. "Take care Tenni." The male hunter grunted his goodbye and got into the jeep.

Danny turned to leave when a hand grabbed him, maybe so she could get in the last word. The perfectly manicured nails bit into his sleeve but he just phased out of her grasp. Goldie huffed and got into the passenger side. Danny stepped out of the way so the vehicle could pass. The jeep only moved a few feet before stopping. The window rolled down to show Tennyson's expressionless face. "The newbies are almost ready for a scare. Thor's teaching them. Anyone who sees you is supposed to pass on the message."

"Thanks," he said sincerely. Just because he hated the guy's partner didn't mean he was rude to the other hunter. He pitied anyone stuck with the Golden Skank for _any_ period of time.

With that the jeep sped off and Danny was free to leave. He took off into the air and flew a couple of blocks to the alley where he stashed his red backpack. As he landed familiar rings encircled him, reverting him back to his human form. One water bottle and a little scrubbing clean the soot and sweat off his face. He put the thermos and water back into his bag and slung the whole thing over his shoulders.

Deciding that he had left Robin alone too long, he turned invisible and flew to the park. Touching down he ran around the last corner to the playground. Robin was just where he had left him on the swings and he was messing with the phone. He looked up in surprise as Danny sprinted the final distance.

"Are you ok?" the teen asked.

"I'm fine. Just had to run to find help," he gasped out between breaths, half-pretending to be winded. "Did you call?"

"Well…" Rob looked nervous and guilty and he didn't answer the question. Danny leaned closer and glanced at the phone's screen.

"You got sucked into Tetris," he said disbelieving. On the screen little blocks fell unchecked and the iconic theme came out of the speaker. Robin breathed out a breath and looked sheepish. "I'm sorry. I lost track of time."

"I don't know about you," he told the boy, "but I'm not up to any more walking." He debated mentally for a minute before rescuing his phone from the Tetris fiend. He hit one of the speed dial numbers and waited nervously for an answer.

"Fenton Works, Maddie speaking."

"Hi Mom," he said hesitantly.

"Danny? Are you alright?" She sounded panicky. Danny rarely called his parents without reason. His friends normally called for him.

"Yeah, I'm ok. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine," she answered in return.

"A friend and I were on the way over and we got sidetracked. Is there any way you could come pick us up?"

"Oh honey, I can't. I'm just finishing up..." She started to trail off before speaking up again. "Actually, I can't pick you up but I can get you a ride."

"Is it Dad?" he asked, getting ready to decline the offer.

"No, he and Jazz left for Baltimore yesterday. There's someone else here that can come and pick you up."

"Who?"

"It's a surprise," his mom said, smile evident in her voice. "Where are you?"

"We're at the playground in Westhill Park. Can your mystery person pick us up?" He waited a minute or so for his mom to answer. He could hear voices in the background but he couldn't understand or recognize them. He started to pace, finally able to see smoke and dust from his fight rise above the buildings as the wind blew it in their direction. There was the sound of sirens form a distance, heading towards the deserted fight zone.

"Danny, are you still there?" his mom asked.

"Yeah," he said, returning his wandering attention to the phone.

"Your ride will be there in a couple of minutes."

"Thanks, Mom."

"I'll see you in a little bit, Honey. Bye."

"Bye." He closed the cell phone and took a seat on the swing next to Robin.

"What did she say?" he asked as he stole the phone. In seconds the Tetris theme started to play.

"She's going to send someone over to pick us up."

"Oh," was all Robin had to say. Neither of them talked as they waited, Danny nervously tapping his foot and Rob off in his own little world. The sound of a lone car brought their attention to the street. A little Toyota Prius pulled up to the curb and the engine turned off. Out stepped a girl that was familiar to Danny. Her black hair was pulled into a pony tail, purple streaks visible even from this distance. Tinted glasses covered her purple eyes. Her shirt didn't cover as much, cut to show a toned stomach and belly button ring. An Open black jacket, torn jeans and combat boots completed the look.

Danny stood up, feeling shocked and then laughed in relief. He was afraid his mom was going to send over a Patrol Member or one of her crazy friends. He ran towards the girl and swung her around in a hug. "Why didn't you tell me you were back?" He asked with a smile.

"Because I just got back, dork." She returned his hug.

"So you survived an entire month with your parents?" he asked as he let go.

"No. I survived an entire month _hiding_ from my parents," the girl said with a huge grin. "I had a blast with Grandma and her friends. I even learned how to play bridge."

"Love the belly button ring," he commented. She looked down at the silver ring with purple stones glittering in the last of the sunlight.

"My parents freaked out. Andre loved it and grandma almost got one herself but Mom talked her out of it. We'll try again on her seventy-fifth birthday."

"Andre?" he asked with a teasing tone. The girl blushed until she spotted something off to the side. He turned around to see that Robin standing uncomfortably a little ways behind him.

"Sam, I want you to meet Robin. Rob," Danny introduced, "this is Sam Mason."

"Hi," she said with a smile, shaking the other boy's hand while leaving an arm wrapped around Danny's shoulders.

"So which of Valerie's relations ran you out of her apartment this time?" she asked the halfa. He didn't question how she knew. It was one of those little mysteries how Sam picked up on things without being told.

"Grandpa Ray." Sam winced at the name. She had heard all about Grandpa Ray and even had the bad luck of meat him once.

"So how do you know this guy, Rob?" she asked as she turned back to the new kid.

Robin didn't answer. How do you tell a stranger that you were attacked by an emotion-eating ghost and a couple of strangers took you in? Danny decided to come to the rescue. "He had a run in with Spectra. Val and I are helping him out for a little while." That comment left everyone in an awkward silence. Sam ducked out from under his arm and started to head towards her car.

"Well, if you want to get in," she motioned to the little black car. Robin got in the back seat while Sam took the driver's seat and Danny took shotgun. She started the car up and soon they were on their way, passing through residential and business districts. He didn't live far from the park but she seemed to be taking the long way.

"You seem to know each other pretty well," Robin observed from the back seat.

"Best friends since eighth grade," Dan said proudly.

"His mom swears that we're twins separated at birth," Sam added. "I ended spending a lot of time at Danny's house after I moved here."

"It would explain some things, us being twins," Danny continued. "You sure didn't inherit your parents' personality."

"Thankfully. So Rob, do you have any brothers or sisters?" she asked.

"No. Only child," Rob said as he turned to look out the window.

"Oh…Kay?" Sam said slowly. "Did I miss anything while I was on vacation?" she asked to change the subject.

For the rest of the trip they gossiped and swapped stories. By the end of the ride even Robin was laughing at some of Danny's stories. Sam also shared some of her adventures in Spain. She had to attend three different weddings, all cousins on her father's side. There she met the crazier side of her family and had a good time (as long as her parents stayed out of shouting distance).

Finally she stopped her car on a small street. Robin climbed out but he didn't move any farther. He stopped to stare at the huge metal 'thing' perched on top of an otherwise normal two-story. A large sign hung off the front of the building read 'Fenton Works'.

"You live here," he asked Danny. Danny nodded with understanding while Sam went inside. Fenton Works was something else, that's for sure. It was not something a normal person expected to see in the middle of a normal neighborhood.

"This is where I grew up," Dan told him as they walked up the steps. "My parents moved here right out of college. They are both ghost hunters and spend a lot of time doing research. My parents have been at it for years." They entered the front door to a seemingly normal living room with a modern flare. Sam waited for them, resting on a couch with a glass of water in hand. "They're here Mrs. Fenton," she yelled as soon as they were in the door.

Out of the kitchen his mother came, clothed in her normal jumpsuit and carrying a small box. Robin tensed up when she walked in the room but Danny didn't have any more time for observation as his mother pulled him in for a hug. Unlike the last time, he returned this hug right away. She pulled away from her son to get a look at the other boy.

"You must be Danny's friend," his mom greeted Robin with a smile. "I'm his mother, Maddie."

"Ah, nice to meet you. I'm Rob," he said a little warily. She didn't notice because she went right back to talking to Danny.

"So what brings you out here?"

"Do you have my old clothes, the ones from ninth grade?" His father was notorious for being a pack rat and he saved the weirdest things at their house. He was counting on that compulsion so they wouldn't have to go to the mall.

"Of course," she answered. "They're in Jazz's old room. What do you need them for?"

"Rob is staying with Valerie and me for a couple of days but he lost his luggage. Instead of buying all new clothes I figured he could borrow some of mine." He crossed his fingers behind his back, hoping his mother would believe the story.

"That's so sweet of you," was her response. "I'll bring them down for you."

Sam leaned over when his mom ran upstairs, "So why dig out your old things?"

"Because you were out of town and Val's Dad didn't get paid yet. Anyways," he whispered. "I have a feeling it would be better to be inconspicuous. Buying a whole new wardrobe for a kid no one has ever met seems kind of odd."

While they were talking Danny's mom ran upstairs and returned with a plastic blue tub labeled with 'Danny' in permanent marker on the side. Robin opened the first one while his mom went up for another container. Danny and Sam helped him sort the clothes, a sad smile finding its way on his face as old memories surfaced.

Maddie returned with a second container as the teenagers finished sorting out the first one. He stood up and stretched while Rob put the clothes he didn't want back. Danny felt a tap on his shoulder. Sam was behind him and leaned closer to whisper in his ear.

"Danny, can I talk to you alone?" Sam asked as Robin moved on to the other plastic tub.

"Sure," he said and followed her into the kitchen. He grabbed a soda out of the fridge while Sam filled her glass with more water. She waited until he took a sip before talking.

"I stopped by the Patrol HQ before coming here to see your mom. There's been a surge of activity. Smith said there's been a higher number of ghost sightings in the past three days."

"I haven't kept track," he admitted.

"Weird thing is that they're not coming from the Fenton Portal or from Wisconsin."

"A wild portal?" he suggested.

"That's the rumor." A wild portal was rare and it caused a lot of concern. Normally the Patrol tracked ghosts going in and out of the Fenton Portal. The Patrol also set up sensors on the Wisconsin boarder to track ghosts coming out of that state. It was impossible to tell what came out of a wild portal or what was going back through. Danny leaned against a counter, mentally going over the ghosts that he knew. "The only ghosts that can create portals are Wulf and the Witch Doctor. Wulf wouldn't do that and she's locked up in a Thermos at HQ."

"We don't know how long the Thermoses are good for. It could already be weakening."

"Which means _he_ could get out again," he said, his tone grim.

"That's not what I'm saying," she said, verbally backpedaling.

"You were hinting at it," he told her before turning his attention from his best friend to the window outside.

"At least we know who he'll go after," she said to his back.

"Jazz..." he whispered harshly.

"We don't know Dan will get out," she told him to comfort him while hugging him from behind. "All we know is that there is a wild portal somewhere nearby. It might not be the Witch Doctor's work either. A ghost could have gotten a new power and it decided to mess with us."

"Sorry," he apologized, regretting his harsh tone. "I'm a little on edge. I ran into Goldie before you picked us up."

"As Phantom?" He nodded.

"What did the Blond Bimbo have to say?" He snorted at her too accurate description of the female hunter.

"Nothing important," Danny finally said as Sam let go and he turned away from the window.

"What else is going on?" Sam pressed.

"Who says there's anything else?" he asked without looking her in the eye.

"You can't lie to me Daniel Edison Fenton." He looked at her. Sam crossed her arms and she gave him _The Look_.

"Things didn't adding up when Val and I found him…Robin," he admitted. "The situation felt wrong. That's when it all started." He said the last part softly but Sam still heard.

"When 'what' started? What's wrong, Danny?"

"Things are out of balance. Something has to shift to bring back the balance." The natural balance wasn't something he used to believe in until the events of the past couple of years happened. His world kept doing one-eighties between things going right and the awful things that happened to him, his family, and Amity Park. It was similar to the hero-villain balance his Grampa used to tell him about.

"How out of balance are we talking about?" Sam asked.

He stared at the floor. When he did answer it was in an emotionless voice. "The last time was during my suicide attempt. The other times like that were the Witch Doctor Incident and when Dan got out and kidnapped Jazz."

"You think something big is going to happen?" she said, more of a statement than a question.

"Yeah and it's not something good." He wrapped his arms around his stomach while he frowned with concern. The good mood created in the car long gone.

"You know that I'm here for you and so is Tucker, when he gets back." She rested her head on his arm and pulled him into a loose hug. She gave a lot of hugs after the car accident two years ago. Even Tucker was prone to hug him from time to time. He thought it was to make sure he really was there so he never complained.

"Thanks," he told her with a small smile.

"Tucker doesn't get back till next Sunday. Do you have any plans for tomorrow?"

"I've got a patrol class to go to tomorrow," he said.

"That's nice," she said. Thinking that she was done Danny started towards the living room.

"Don't wreck the door again," she called from behind him.

"Why does everyone say that," he asked the Goth, guilt sliding onto his face.

"Because you destroy a door every time," Sam told him when she caught up.

"Not every time…"

"Right," she drawled out before laughing at him. He tried to defend himself even as the two of them walked back into the living room to see the damage done while they left Robin and his mom alone.

_

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_

R&R

_Thanks to : silvermoonphantom, Lumias, LokiWaterDraca, Tetsukon, katiesparks, WingsOfMorphius, MiaRose 156, firehedgehog, The Lost Hibiki, SDB, Haikari Archersight, Gmasangel, AirGirl Phantom, teenyugiohpotterphantom, Darth Frodo, Anne Camp aka Obi-Quiet, WolfDaughter, Mischievious Murderer, JPElles, and Aki._

_Edited _


	9. Day 9 Saturday

**Orbits of Glass  
**_By Sqweakie the Wonder Mouse_

_

* * *

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Chapter Nine

'Ghost Patrol Headquarters'… a grand title like that should belong to a grand building with an ornate entrance leading to a precision department. To the uninitiated, the dingy doorway and claustrophobically narrow stairs to the basement hardly fit the adjectives of 'grand' or 'ornate'. The steps were pragmatic and that was all. The steps also turned out to be useless to a half-ghost on a mission.

At the stairwell leading to the basement of the city hall he phased into the floor and hovered above the front desk. Danny took off towards the heart of the Patrol HQ unnoticed by the woman at the desk or by the hunter guarding the stairs. He drifted invisibly through rooms until the steady sound of a lecture caught his attention. Passing through the locker rooms and an office, he ended up in a large conference room. Normally used for large meetings and demonstrations, today it was home for Patrol Orientation 101.

Seven people sat in the room with notebooks and bored looks all around. At the front of the room stood the lecturer, a grey-haired man just inching past middle age and as skinny as a rail. The man had a slight accent when he talked, a hint at his British Heritage. He leaned against a desk dragged from one of the offices. The desk didn't match the furniture filling the rest of the room, rich-looking wood out of place in the sea of grungy tables and wooden chairs.

The ghost paused in the middle of the room, trying to figure out his next step. He had to get the attention of the man at the desk. With no way of alerting the teacher verbally since there were seven witnesses in front in of him, Danny resorted to non-verbal communications. He flew behind the human and gently grabbed the shoulders with his deathly cold hands. The man under his hands shivered at the touch. None of his students noticed and the lecture ended quickly.

"Twenty minute break. When you all get back we are going to start the history and purpose of the Patrol," the man said as he stepped out of Danny's grip and away from the desk.

Seven bodies rushed out the door, leaving the ghost and one human in its wake. Dan sunk to the desk before becoming visible. The man did not react to the ghost; of course with his back to Danny there was no way to see the halfa on the desk. Danny grinned mischievously.

"You look lost, Thor."

The man jumped into the air and spun around grabbing at the gun that wasn't there. "Why can't you appear normally like any other ghost?" he inquired as he relaxed his defensive posture.

"That's too easy," he replied cheekily. "So why are you down here with the newbies?"

"My partner's out with a broken wrist. Figured with a small class to weed out, I might as well teach them and be done with _that_ wonderful duty."

The half-ghost and human traded small talk while the clock counted down the return of the class. Thor looked at the time and sighed as it dwindled down to the last minute of the break. "Do you have to do this?"

Danny didn't answer. He just dove into Thor's body. The man's eyes flashed green before settling into their normal brown color. Seconds after his possession, the first students filed back into the room. First through the door came a man close to Thor's age (mid-forties) and a woman at least ten years his junior. They talked quietly as they walked to the front middle table. The woman took a seat while her companion took his seat at a table to the far left.

Once they settled in their seats the next group came through the door. Two men and one woman entered, the three in their late twenties. The girl plopped down at the back middle table while her escorts sat down at the back table to the left of hers. Danny covered up a snort at the three, the girl talked on her cell phone; she had been on it while walking to the room. The men caused a similar amusement. They had to be twins, they dressed and acted like it.

The last two men ran into the room right before the clock stopped at 7:45. They took their seats on the far right side of the room without looking towards their teacher. Danny took the time to study the class. Not everyone in front of him was destined to become a ghost hunter. This class, this orientation, began the first step in weeding out the potential from the misguided and the glory hogs (not that formula always worked, see Goldie).

A varied group sat before him and none of them had a clue about what would occur today. Danny gently stretched his back before leaning against the desk and starting his lecture.

"The Patrol, the leading defense against rogue ghosts, formed a year ago. The first members of the patrol came to Amity Park in November of 2005. They were the mercenaries of the ghost hunting world, some of the best. These hunters became the Ghost Patrol of Amity.

"Originally nine members made up the Patrol. Today there are thirty-two hunters and a larger number of supporting staff. Most of the hunters are part time, working various days, nights and weekends. A small few are full time, including myself.

"The main goal of the Patrol has always been the protection of Amity Park. This is done by the hunters, either working alone or in pairs. The Patrol also works with the local authorities to capture and restrain out of control ghosts. Supporting them is the rest of the Patrol staff. Their duties can range from research and development, managing supplies and bookwork, or even public relations."

"I have a question," the forty-something man on the far left interrupted. "Why was the Patrol created in the first place? Ghosts have been around for longer than a year."

"True, but certain events occurred late October 2005. Jack and Maddie Fenton, the main ghost hunters of Amity, left the state for personal reasons. The other resident hunter, The Red Hunteress, disappeared and no one knew how to contact her. Malevolent ghosts discovered the lack of protection and acted on it. They overran the city without any resistance.

"The original members of the Patrol came to the city at the local government's request. They pushed back the ghost invasion and brought back order. After that they took turns patrolling the city, even after the Fentons returned. The newspapers started to refer to us as the Ghost Patrol and the name stuck. During that winter we proved our worth to the city council and in May, six months after we came to the city, the Patrol became an official part of the Police Force."

He took a pause to see if there were any other questions from his class. No one spoke up and the bored looks started to appear again. Only a couple actually paid attention. Without any more questions he continued on.

"There are three main objectives of the Patrol. The first is the protection of the citizens of Amity Park, which I already have mentioned. This is our most public goal and the one that is taken most seriously. We protect against ghost attacks and counteract the effects of various ghosts. This includes physical changes and mental ones. We will discuss those changes at a later time.

"The second objective is educating first responders. From there we train police officers, firefighters and health care workers in situations where they may come in contact with a ghost or their aftermath. We teach them the signs of a ghost attack and aftereffects of said ghosts.

"Finally, we train the next generation of hunters. Amity Park is the only place on the planet guaranteed to have ghosts. That alone attracts a lot of attention and possible hunters. Very few that come to Amity will become ghost hunters. Most leave…some become supporting staff. Those select few who become hunters don't always stay here. There is a lot of money out there become a ghost hunter for hire."

Looks of concern replaced the boredom at the last part of Dan's speech. Most students that came to Amity assumed they would be out on the street in a couple of weeks toting ecto-pistals and saving the city. One reason Danny taught this small lecture to each class of hunters was to ruin the dream.

The other reason was a much simpler one. Some things about ghosts could only be taught through experience. As he continued to speak about the past year of the Patrol and the principles it followed, Danny watched the students. A couple of them started to shift in their seats. They knew something was wrong even though the lecture droned on like it had for weeks. All they had to do now figure out that their teacher was possessed.

Thor once joked that some hunters were born with an internal awareness similar to Spiderman's Spidey-Sense. A hunter's 'ghosty-sense' tingled when a ghost involved itself in a situation and the hunter didn't consciously know that. Right now that tingling had to be working overtime.

Danny stressed it and the Patrol took it to heart: trust your instincts and act on them. Many students acted timid and never questioned the norm or the hunters. Right now a ghost overshadowed their teacher and his students sat there like bumps on a log, not reacting.

He knew one of the first lessons the Patrol taught students involved the basic ghost powers like flying, invisibility, intangibility, and overshadowing. The reason it was one of the first was to prepare them for actually experiencing a real possession. Contrary to movie lore, possessed people didn't speak in tongues. Nor did a person's head spin around on its own axis. They didn't get turned into mindless zombies either. Most possessed carried on as they normally did. It was Danny Phantom's job to demonstrate overshadowing to the newbies. Today, the class was one big test that the students didn't know they were taking. And right now they were all failing.

"This is stupid," someone to his right finally blurted. "Why exactly do we need to know this crap?" All eyes turned to the man who spoke out of turn. He looked around twenty but the shaved head and facial piercings made it hard to pin an exact age on him.

"Shut up, Ian," his table partner whispered.

"Would you care to repeat that?" Thor's clipped accent turned the attention to him.

"This is Stupid," Baldy enunciated. Heads turned back and forth at the verbal tennis match.

Danny marched right up to the table and leaned forward on his hands whispering sharply, "Those who cannot learn from history, even one as brief at this, are doomed to repeat it." The boy's eyes widened and he jumped out of his seat in horror. Danny just made a huge mistake as his eyes flashed green. Instead of getting angrier, Dan calmly walked to the front of the class. Turning around, his eyes lost their green color, returning to Thor's brown.

"Well, ghosts have nothing to worry about if _this_ is the future of the Patrol." His caustic words in Phantom's voice caused pandemonium. Everyone jumped up and moved backwards. A couple of the students made a break for the back of the room and the only door. The first one reached for the door's handle. A green blast shot past his groping hand and melted the knob. Everyone turned in dread towards the possessed hunter at the front of the room. An evil grin found its way onto a normally docile face and the glowing green eyes returned.

"Now what are you going to do?" he challenged the class.

"We get you out of Mister Thorton's body," said the bald guy confidently.

Instead of replying, Danny just grinned wider. He made the universal 'come and get me' hand gesture just to make his students angrier. They didn't disappoint.

Ian grabbed a spare chair and threw it at the possessed teacher. Danny raised an eyebrow as the chair passed right though him and crashed into the desk behind. His attacker backed up. He made a grab for another chair before it flew out of reach, a green blast pushing a second chair into the man's stomach and dropping him to the ground.

Ectoplasm grew around his hand but stopped when a different man twisted him around. The green glow fizzled down as Danny stared at the man who managed to sneak up and grab onto his wrist distracting him. The only problem with the hunter's plan was that Danny wasn't just using a human's body; he still had access to all of his powers.

Danny phased out of his grasp and kicked the man gently in the stomach, pushing him into the wall behind the desk. He slid down and seemed to be out of the fight. Next up came the redhead that sat next to baldy and the older woman from the front row. They moved to opposite sides of the ghost, trying to flank him. Danny's head turned to the left and then to the right. The humans bent down and sprang into action, trying to surprise him. Danny crouched and at the perfect moment he flipped backwards and onto one of the tables. Out of their reach the two students collided. The male managed to grab the woman and the spun around because of their momentum. Danny laughed at the sight of the two serious-looking adults spinning around like little kids.

Over his snickering and curses from various downed hunters came the voice of the twenty-something girl. Danny snapped his head around when he caught her words.

"There's a ghost in the Orientation room… Yes, I'm serious! ... No, he melted the door handle!" She stood near the damaged door shouting into the cell phone she brought into class. Between her and Danny stood the twins, identical faces matched with identical expressions and determination.

"Stop," he ordered as he jumped to the floor. He didn't need real ghost hunters rushing in, guns blazing.

The woman kept talking into the cell and overhead a voice called out a Code G (ghost in HQ). He walked through tables and overturned chairs. The Twins moved so they still stood between him and the girl, trying to block him with broken chair legs held like clubs. Taking in a breath he ran at the twins and jumped straight over their heads. He kept going and made a grab for the phone. Without looking, cell phone girl ducked. Danny ran right into the wall. The girl screeched and ran around a convenient table.

He staggered back and his second attempt for the phone was successful. He lifted the phone to his hear and spoke in Thor's voice, "Sorry about the trouble, Molly. You can cancel the alarm."

The alarms stopped and the code was cancelled overhead. The students pulled themselves up off the floor in horror. The backed away as Danny turned off the cell and slid it into the back pocked of his pants looking ready to continue the fight.

Something pounded on the door behind Danny before it was forcefully kicked open. The students' prayers were answered. In the doorway stood a Ghost Hunter in full glory. His right hand was encased in a cast. His left hand gripped a shotgun and with a quick glance he trained the gun on the possessed teacher. All movement ceased as the large man slowly moved into the room, leaving the door open behind him.

"Mornin' all," he said with a feral grin. He stopped right in front of the overshadowed Thor, only a table separating them. The glared at each other, hunter and ghost. 'Thor' spoke first.

"Hey Gus. Heard you had some trouble with Technus. Something about a possessed toaster?"

The hunter groaned and shook his head with embarrassment. "No one will ever let that story die. How's the afterlife treating you?" Jaws and make-shift weapons dropped. The possessed hunter leaned over the table to take the ecto-shotgun from Gus. He clicked the safety on and placed the weapon on the table.

"Can't complain," he answered. "I had the morning off so I figured I would visit. It shakes things up a little around here." Gus chuckled before addressing the class.

"Everyone, I want to introduce you to Danny Phantom."

Danny stepped out of Thor's body and made a mock bow. Behind him Thor sighed wearily. "Did you have to destroy the door again?"

"Sorry," Danny apologized sheepishly as he looked back at the teacher and the damage done.

"Take a seat." The class followed Thor's direction warily. He and Danny walked to the front and sat on the damaged desk side by side. "This was a test. The Patrol needed to know how you all would react to a real ghost threat and this is the best possible way to test you.

"So we get no warning?" accused the twin in the green shirt. "That doesn't seem fair."

"Duh, that's the point," Danny told the entire class. "Do you think ghosts normally schedule attacks?" The students didn't have a response.

"It also gives us a chance to introduce you to one of the original members of the Patrol," Thor continued. "Phantom's played in an important part in this group since its conception."

"You're part of the patrol?" Ian asked, part amazed and part angry.

Danny nodded. "One of the original nine." An uneasy silence followed Dan's statement.

"How about we watch the movie?" Gus suggested, breaking the icy atmosphere. The students seemed confused by his request but Danny and Thor both knew what he meant.

"Whose desk is this?" Danny asked the teacher perched next to him.

"Smith's…" Danny shifted over to the left and stuck his hand though the desktop. Pulling it out he came up with a soda, then a bag of popcorn, and finally a VHS tape labeled only with a date. He earned a couple of laughs from Gus and one of the students. The rest just glared at him, blaming him for making them look completely incompetent when faced with a ghost.

Thor took the tape and inserted it in a VCR that luckily remained unscathed through the fight. Danny relocated to one of the back tables with the popcorn. Thor joined him with a sad sigh. They both watched the video countless times, both the edited version and the uncut feeds from their headsets.

On the wall behind the desk a projector lit up and the screen divided into six parts, all black. The date appeared across the top three screens '1-12-2006'. It faded before, in smaller print, six names appeared on the screen.

**Phantom**_------_**Anderson**_-----_**Smith**

**Jacobs**_--------_**Thorton**_--------_**Townsend**

Gus stood in front of the screen, a single piece of paper materializing in his grasp. He lost his jolly expression. Newly sober he began the speech that Phantom and Thor wrote but both refused to speak.

"To all those who wish to become Ghost Hunters…

"This video portrays the darkest days of the Patrol. The Witch Doctor, a ghost previously unheard of in Amity, revealed herself to the city and committed one of the worst crimes in the city's history. She kidnapped children right out their homes and attacked their families with her dark arts. Her Voo Doo protected 'her' children when the city's hunters tried to stop her. She fled to the Ghost Zone, leaving behind broken families and the fear of her return.

"On January 12th, 2006 five humans and their ghost guide entered the Ghost Zone to rescue the fifteen missing children. They traveled alone without the hope of rescue if catastrophe fell on their mission. With no way of knowing the events that would follow, the hunters and ghost all wore mikes and cameras to record their entire journey. What follows is the only visual record of the Ghost Zone and the most complete footage of Ghost Fighting.

"If you have any illusions about the glory life of a ghost hunter, you'd better reconsider your reasons for joining.

"This isn't a joyride, People…This is hell."

The screens above each name brightened to show six different perspectives of the same room, a large lab with a glowing portal in one of the walls. A large metal contraption sat poised in front of the open portal. It looked just narrow enough to fit though the portal.

The movie started midconversation.

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Continue on to

_The Witch Doctor Incident __at http:// sqweakie . livejournal . com/ the for the story behind the 'Orientation Video' or in my author's page or just click the little button for chapter ten. _

_Thanks to: AirGirl Phantom, Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, My Eternal Facade, Aki, Killer Pixy, WingsOfMorphius, JPElles, cheyenne, katiesparks, MiaRose 156, Darth Frodo, MarzBunni, Mako-Magic, LokiWaterDraca, teenyugiohpotterphantom, and Sirithiliel._

_Edited12/6/08_


	10. Day 12 Tuesday

**Orbits of Glass Chapter  
**_By Sqweakie the Wonder Mouse_

_AN: This chapter is a little trippy. Not my favorite, especially after last chapter and what I have planned for the next couple but I needed to setup Rob's mindset before the next chapter. Thanks to all your support and patience. Any questions, see my Author's Bio._

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Chapter Ten

"_Hey Boss, I think he's wakin' up."_

_Loud laughter erupted around him, each voice a faceless creature in the black void surrounding him. He winced at the sound, pain beating in time with the laughter and jeers. It felt like someone had kicked the back of his head repeatedly and then stuffed him into the chair where he sat. He opened his eyes but blackness enclosed him, held by the rough fabric of the blindfold cinched tight around his head. He tried to move his hands, jerking when the ropes around his wrists tightened. Fruitlessly, he shifted around but he remained restrained._

"_Do you have his ID?" a voice asked idly. The laughter halted. A muffled 'here' and the sounds of movement reached his half-covered ears._

"'_Walter R. Price'… sixteen years old, lives somewhere in Gotham and has only a couple twenties and some odd change to his name. Tell me, Walter, how does a sixteen year old kid get his hands on a perfect replica of a Robin costume? Why would said kid wear it under his normal clothes and wander around the city? And how can a scrawny teenager knock out for of my men before he's brought down? Can you tell me, Walter?"_

_Robin sat silently. His face a pale mask behind the blindfold as the hidden man waited for his answer. Finally completely aware of his surroundings, woozy sleepiness abated, he could feel a warm breeze across his uncovered arms. When he moved his legs the telltale sound of jeans rubbing together was absent. He knew before he lost consciousness at the bus stop he wore jeans and a turtleneck over his uniform. His street clothes should have hid the bright costume on the bus ride back to Wayne Manor. He didn't change out of the uniform because exhaustion pulled at him and he intended to collapse on his bed at Bruce's when he got there, no other detours planned._

"_Don't you have anything to say…Walter?" the man teased, putting an emphasis on his alias. Laughter started up again. Over the noise, heavy footsteps marched towards his spot. Robin smelled something akin to old cigars and whiskey as someone leaned over him, breathing right in his face._

_The blindfold ripped way from his face. Light burned his eyes before he slammed his eyelids shut, not wanting to give away one of his last secrets, the eyes his mask covered._

"_Shy little bird, aren't we, Walter? Open your eyes."_

_He shook his head silently, not willing to speak. He wasn't afraid of the man. In fact, he was cussing himself out for being so careless and getting jumped in the first place._

"_Joe, convince little Walter here to open his eyes." Footsteps walked away and a chair creaked under a new weight, the Boss he assumed. _

_Robin remains stoic. He lived through things unimaginable to the common dredges of Gotham City. Almost nothing they could do to him could really frighten him. _

_He could sense the quiet anticipation in the air as a new set of footsteps approached the bound hero. Hands grabbed his collar and pushed him back against his chair. His shoulders and back protested against the rough treatment._

"_Last chance, Walter."_

_Robin shook his head. The Boss sighed and ordered, "Do it."_

_With his eyes closed, he expected a beating or something of the like. What he wasn't prepared for was the sharp agony he felt burned across his abdomen. A cry of surprise and pain passed out his lips as his eyes shot open. A man stood close, one hand wrapped in his shirt, the other loosely gripping a bloody knife. He looked down and saw his torn shirt and the blood oozing from a new wound on his stomach._

"_A little crude but he gets the job done."_

_Blue-green eyes lifted from the laceration to the room as Joe stepped aside. The boss, a heavyset man chewing on a fresh cigar, sat in front of him. Five or six other men lounged against walls or leaned on a table. _

"_Hmm…not much to look at. Patch him up and get the word out on the street. We have a Robin to sell to the highest bidder."_

Colors blurred together as he caught his breath and the pain faded. His restraints disappeared easier than the first time. He remained seated as the scene around him dissolved into blackness. He lost all feeling and in the blink of an eye he was alone and somewhere new.

Creaking was the only sound as he swung back and forth, lost in a new memory. Most kids had a swing set when they were little. He had an entire circus.

He sat on a metal bar, the ground stretched out beneath him. His right hand curled around the cable while his left wrapped around his stomach. He slowly swung his feet, his perch one of the trapeze near the top of the tent. He didn't break the silence with his voice, instead listening to the sounds of the creaking cables and the wind whipping across the tent. He felt no urge to swing faster or try any flips across the expanse. His feet slowly kicked out and his improvised swing moved slowly.

"This isn't how the tent normally looks," a voice stated out of the void. He looked around for the first time. The colors were muted, mostly grays and soft greens. The inside of the tent appeared larger and emptier than normal. Dust and cobwebs decorated the platforms, disuse and decay making patters across the circus. In the middle of it all, another figure sat on a different trapeze. Without her cape she fit the theme. Her leotard added another shade of gray to the landscape.

"No, I guess not," he answered listlessly. "Are you real or just another messed up memory?" Her swing remained still while she took in the view.

"This is a mental representation of your mind, not mine. Why is it darker?"

"You tell me, you're part of it."

"That isn't an answer," she told him. "Let me ask you this: why are you hiding in the shadows?"

He noticed for the first time that green spotlights illuminating the entire ceiling except the space he inhabited. With a wave of her hand, Raven redirected one of the lights. The green light spilled over him, lighting up bare feet and pajamas. Finally it hit his face and he was blinded.

He startled when a hand pressed against his cheek. His sight cleared and Raven was now much closer. She floated right in front of him, staring at his forehead and face with clinical interest.

"Raven, is it worth it?" he asked her.

She turned her violet eyes towards his. "It?"

"Being a superhero… trying to stop the evil out there." She didn't respond so he continued. "If we hadn't come to Jump City, Slade never would have come, nor the others. There was crime but no actual 'supervillains' before we formed the Titans. If we hadn't played hero, would they have come?"

"Why would they have stayed away? Jump City has large industry, a port, plenty of tech companies. What do you think they came for, us?" She posed the questions, not expecting his answer.

"It's a balance. Stopping those small criminals made us stronger. Things weren't in balance so stronger villains developed to fight us."

"And if we never formed, they would have gone somewhere else…or never have become 'supervillains'." Raven's tone was absolute disbelief.

"I don't know! Things are so messed up. I just feel… like I failed."

"When did you fail…" she stopped at his pointed look. "Bad question. How did you feel you failed recently?"

"Terra."

"Terra?" she parroted with confusion.

"She's alive," Rob said without emotion. "She's without her memories but with her powers and is very alive. She didn't want to access her powers, but I forced her, made her move the rocks and stones."

"If you hadn't forced her, would she be dead?" she finally asked. He shrugged.

"I'm not sure. There is always the possibility that she didn't need to use her powers. There's something else though.

"I… he's…Alfred's dead."

She blinked.

"One of the men who raised you?" she finally asked.

"He's been sick for a while," he told her. His eyes traveled the lengths of the high wire so he wouldn't have to look at those penetrating violet orbs. "Between everything going on I never made it to Gotham this winter. I planned to go beginning of April. I guess I was a little too late," he said bitterly.

"What brings this line of thought? This is fairly random, even for you."

"I've been thinking about this all week since I wound up here. I got jumped in Gotham."

"I saw."

"I wasn't paying attention," he continued. "All I could think about was Terra and Alfred, about how I failed. About what you guys would say if I told you. What Beast Boy would do if he found out that I forced Terra to tap into her powers… that I let Slade get a hold of her in the first place."

"Guilt can be a powerful emotion if you keep holding on."

"I can't let go!" he yelled, finally looking at her.

"That's only part of the problem, isn't it?" It was more of a statement than a true question but it opened the floodgates.

"Why do I feel this way?" The swing shook with the power and fury of his words. "I try to get near a phone to call you guys and I freeze. I can't pick it up to call you or the other titans. I can't go near a door without this feeling that something awful will happen if I pass the threshold without someone there to guide me. This isn't normal but I can't figure out what's wrong.

"Half the time it feels like I have these pieces for a couple different puzzles but nothing fits together. Why would thugs go after me, a harmless-looking teen at a bus stop? Why would a kid claiming to hate superheroes take me in with the idea I might be a super? And why would he have connections to a super or may even be a super himself?

"And what about getting attacked by a ghost. I don't remember what happened but it has to be important. What is the key event? What is the reason everything is going on?"

"The answers are here. The memory is here," she tapped his forehead for emphasis_. "She trapped it to hurt you more."_ He looked into her violet eyes as her voice changed. With a blink she disappeared. Masked eyes replaced her violet ones. Suddenly Robin was looking…at himself.

"_It's all there Rob, figure it out. Now open your eyes…"_

"Open your eyes, Robin. Wake up."

Aqua eyes fluttered open to the real world. Free of the dreams and memories everything tangible and real surrounded him. Around him the sounds and smells of the real world assaulted him. He could see the ceiling above him and out of the corner of his eye he could see a figure next to him. He turned his head and Danny came into focus. He looked nervous, biting his lip even as the boy sat next to him, a hand still on his shoulder from his attempt to wake the hero.

"It was just a bad dream," he said as he sat up, putting himself eye to eye with Danny.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Dan asked with concern.

"No." Robin looked away, mentally trying to put some distance between him and one of the puzzles that seemed to be driving him insane.

"Rob, you've been here almost two weeks," Danny said, cutting into his thoughts. "Is there anyone you want me to call to let them know that you're here? Your parents?"

"My parents are dead."

"A guardian then," Danny pressed.

He let out a bitter laugh. "He doesn't care."

"You must have friends that are worried about you," he said.

Robin remained mute. Danny gave him a hard stare before standing up and leaving the bedroom, Damian's room, where Robin tried to get a couple hours of undisturbed sleep. The door closed behind him but it didn't latch and voiced carried through the crack to Rob's sensitive ears.

"How is he?" a girl's voice, Valerie's voice, asked quietly.

"Classic symptoms…Nightmares, distancing, and beginning signs of depression. Spectra did a number on him," Danny said darkly.

"So now what?" was her next question. "We can't exactly knock some sense into him like we did with you."

"Keep an eye on him," Danny's voice advised. "When he snaps out of it either we call his family or hand him over to the police as a runaway." Footsteps began and stopped at Val's final question.

"And if he doesn't 'snap out of it'?" Danny sighed.

"Let's give him a week. If he doesn't break out of the depression on his own I have to call the Patrol and let them know. The psych ward will take over from there."

For a brief minute, emotions stirred inside Robin. He made as far as the window before the depression settled down on him and any urge to leave dissolved. His hands paused on the windowsill and he stared out... trapped.

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R&R

_AN2: Umm... Alright that was a little more than messed up. Blame it on the stress. _

_**Thanks to:**__ Sirithiliel, AirGirl Phantom, silvermoonphantom, Tetsukon, WingsOfMorphius, JTN, Nobody Famous, Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, JPElles, Sasia, Mako-Magic, Corran Nackatori, Darth Frodo, Gmasangel, Mizuki hikari, A. Minamino, quacked Lurker, Aki, allison, Quacked Lurker (double thanks for your wonderful words)._

_Edited 12/6/08_


	11. Day 19 Monday

**Orbits of Glass  
**_By: Sqweakie the Wonder Mouse_

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Chapter Eleven

After a jaunt through a hellish future, car accidents, suicide attempts, and joining (and being accepted by) the Ghost Patrol, it's amazing how some things never change.

Lancer stood in the front of the class lecturing about Shakespeare. Normally heavy material, Lancer made it almost unbearable. If it wasn't for the teacher Danny might have enjoyed Macbeth.

Thursdays always felt longer than any other day of the week. True, he only spent half-days at school. The rest of his schooling he did online, nice when one did not fall asleep until 2 am. He learned better during the online sessions, thus only having to go to school for tests. Unfortunately he still had classes: gym, an automotive class, computer science, and 11th Grade English, all that required his attendance in person.

Danny doodled in the margin of his notebook, a smile quirking his lips. In his freshman year he would have done anything to attend only half-days at Casper High. Now it bothered him, the few hours spent at school forced him to act like a carefree teenager, the same nerdy Danny Fenton during those dreaded four plus hours. People expected him to be the shy, stuttering nerd that he first portrayed in high school. He couldn't just pretend to be normal anymore and he couldn't hide the physical changes that his peers couldn't help but focus on.

He wore long-sleeved shirts almost all the time in public. Anywhere where he had to be ordinary Danny Fenton, not Echo and not Phantom, he also wore a black brace on his right arm. The stiff material reached from his knuckles to just below his elbow. At one time it was for support but now is served to cover the roadmap of scars winding around his forearm, little tokens from the car accident just before sophomore year.

He _loathed_ the stares his arm gained from other students. It made him self-conscious and never failed to remind him of everything he lost due to the accident. True, he also gained and there was no chance he would be here at this point, ghost hunter in human and ghost form, Valerie's boyfriend and a 'B' student overall in school if his life had gone to plan. If he continued to live his double life without help from anyone outside his small trusted circle of Jazz, Sam and Tuck things would be radically different.

He shook his head, driving off the self-reflection and trying to turn his attention back to the lecture. Tapping his pen idly, he lost interest again minutes later. He let his gaze wander away from Lancer and to the rest of the room. Sam and Valerie attended different classes this period, the former history and the latter gym. If fact, the only people he recognized in the room were Dash and Nathan, the others part of the faceless majority of his class that he had no contact (positive or negative) with due to his status as one of the 'freaks and geeks'.

He let the pen slip from his grasp as he glanced around again. A shiver ran down his spine and a blue mist curled past his lips. Clasping a hand to his mouth, his eyes darted left and right. Ghosts rarely made it to Casper High since the inception of the Patrol due to a full-time hunter patrolling the area. A hunter that normally intercepted ghosts that frequented the school in the past.

The temperature dropped. At the head of the class Lancer froze mid-sentence and paled at the change. Students also looked around, some more sensitive to the new atmosphere than others. Warily he reached under his seat, snagging a strap and pulled his bag within easy reach. The schools forbade students from carrying ectoguns (any guns actually) into the building. However, tucked between a textbook and his sweatshirt he kept a Thermos that was not on the banned list.

Backpack literally in hand Danny closed his eyes, trying to pinpoint the ghost while ignoring the nausea and worry for the patrolling hunter. To let ghosts (single or plural) slip past the outer defenses of the school meant somehow the human was incapacitated and he had no way to know how injured that hunter may be.

The air shivered and his eyes snapped open.

"Get down!"

With reflexes to be proud of the entire class ducked, many making it under desks as something crashed through the ceiling. Danny tightened a hold on the shoulder strap as he staggered to his feet, bag swinging around hand bumping his hip.

The ghost hovered for a few precious seconds. It looked squid-like with a large, misshapen head and at least a dozen tentacles drifting below. It stiffened when the beady red eyes found Danny, the only human left standing in the rood while everyone else remained on the floor.

He blindly groped in his bag, fingertips brushing books and his glasses. The ghost hissed and plowed into him, bag flying one way, Danny flying the other way. He hit a desk and kept rolling until his feet could find a purchase on the debris strewn floor and he could stand.

It twirled through the air before swooping in close. Danny dove to the side with a deft handspring that caused the ghost mostly miss him. Unluckily a couple trailing tentacles caught his chin and shoulder. He stumbled out of his landing, slamming his back against a wall.

With the unearthly grace many ghosts possessed, the squid flew up into the ceiling, creating another hole and causing a new wave of debris to fall into the classroom. Then... only silence filled the room. Pieces of plaster and ceiling and dust fell to the floor, creaking ominously above students as they emerged. Gasping, he leaned his full weight against the wall, ears straining to hear the tiniest sounds. Around him papers crumpled and students whispered masking any of the subtle noises a ghost caused.

"Stay down and stay quiet!" he ordered, his voice closer to his Echo persona than Fenton. Some people stayed down, others wary and unsure if they should follow the directions.

"It's coming back." Silence covered the students as the crouched back down. He remained standing with his back against the wall, waiting for that subtle noise, a quiet brush of ectoplasm against the object to give away the ghost's position. He waited an eternity poised to move.

Then he ducked and with a crunch a tentacle drove through the wall right through the space his chest occupied moments before. It retracted and then the ghost plowed through the opening. Danny jumped forward to avoid the falling drywall. Grabbing an abandoned textbook off the floor, he chucked it in the general directors of the thing's head to distract it as he ran low to the front of the room, specifically to Lancer's desk.

The man crouched on the other side, fingers fumbling with keys to unlock a drawer. Danny decided to take the more direct approach. Balling his fist, he punched through thin venire on the front of the desk and grabbed the thermos inside. Spinning around, he pressed the button as tentacles grabbed for him, a beak gaping open. The blue light blinded him as tentacles brushed at his face and legs.

The wind died and the room fell silent. Heads poked above overturned desks and Lancer emerged from behind his own desk. Danny slumped and rested his head against the punctured desk, cradling the thermos to his chest. Huffing with anxiety, Lancer leaned down and offered his hand. Danny grabbed his wrist and the older man pulled him to his feet. The teacher asked if Danny was alright even as he clutched the ectopistal that originally rested next to the Thermos in the locked drawer.

"Mister Lancer?" a voice called through the hole in the wall. Moving over they could see Mrs. Podaski, one of the language teachers, standing on the other side of the wall. Her face dripped with nervous sweat while both hands wrapped around her pistol with a white-knuckled grip. "Our door's blocked."

Danny motioned for Lancer's ectogun. Reluctantly, the teacher handed it over. Danny took aim and ordered everyone away from the wall. Four precise shots crumbled drywall and created an opening for the other teacher and her students to slip through.

"Who has thermos training?" Lancer asked the combined classes once everyone was inside the single room. Hesitantly, Dash raised his hand. Danny stepped over to the blond and handed him the red device. As the football player pulled the strap over his shoulder, the halfa continued to the wall, rescuing his backpack from under a chair. Reaching inside he pulled out his personal thermos trimmed in Fenton Green.

He raised an eyebrow at Lancer, daring him to decline his help as he and the other teacher moved towards the door. The bald man winced but held to door open to let him pass. They stepped out into the deserted hallway, Mrs. Podaski leading, Danny next, while Lancer watched their backs. As they moved along they checked on each class, making sure the other teachers and students were unharmed. A couple classes mentioned seeing ghosts but they remained unmolested. Continuing on they made it to a little used hallway near the center of the school. Ahead they heard steps and Danny moved up front next the increasing nervous teacher, her gun shaking.

They stepped around the corner, guns and Thermos whining with energy. Mirroring them was Mr. Jones, Ms. Adavitch, and Ann Smith. Lancer sighed audibly with relief and relaxed his stance and pointing his gun towards the ground.

"Any one hurt at your end?"

"No, thank goodness," Mister Jones declared. "A squid ghost trashed the home-ec room and a couple other classes but that is it. Miss Smith was able to contain the creature."

Danny nodded towards the girl, a strawberry blond that was an almost perfect blend between her mother and father. She nodded back as the teachers held a short conversation before making their way to their shared destination.

Together they entered a small room next to the boiler. Barely any standing room for a group of six, Lancer pushed through, snagging a radio on his way. Monitors lit up as he flicked switches, turning on ghost sensors filling the school. Immediately Danny picked up his own signature, the almost nonsensical numbers glowing faintly on the screen, proclaiming Echo to anyone who knew the codes. Scanning the screens, he picked out a dozen or so humans with elevated ecto-levels and two unidentified ghost signatures at the north end of the school.

Ann tapped Lancer's shoulder and then the screen where she also spotted the anomalies. With the ghosts pointed out to him the teacher panicky called into the radio. With the adults occupied, all concentrated on the screens, Danny slunk to the back of the room while Ann followed.

"Not how I was planning to spend my day. How about you?" she drawled, her southern accent thicker since the loss of her mother. Danny nodded in agreement, knowing the rest of the day's classes were shot.

Half listening to the police scanner as the on-duty hunters converged on the school, he couldn't help but wish that something would go to plan. At least now he had time for a visit before he had to go back to Valerie's apartment to baby-sit Robin.

oOo

"So then the squid drives a tentacle through the wall, right where my chest should have been if I hadn't ducked."

His thumb rubbed the back of her limp hand. The skin felt like parchment under the calluses on his fingers. He could trace every freckle and wrinkle. Her hair lay limply on the pillow, a splash of red on hospital white. A bruise shone a deep purple on the side of her jaw. Her face relaxed in timeless sleep, a modern sleeping beauty whose fairy tale ending had yet to come.

Janet Smith, hunter, wife, mother of two and temporary surrogate mother to a half ghost lay as still as death in a hospital bed in the hospice ward of Amity General. Her roommates were the two other victims of the Witch Doctor. Hunters Anderson and Townsend filled two other beds in the room, all equally unaware of the time that passed.

Danny spent a number of the sleepless nights here. He would come and sit at her bedside when he needed company but didn't want to disturb any of his friends. The hospital staff grew used to the ghost keeping the comatose woman company. He would sit at her side and tell her about his day and other things. All those times when he couldn't talk to her and now after he lost her he finally found his voice. He lost count of the times he wished he had opened up to her just once before that terrible January day.

It was mid-afternoon just after the ghost attack at the school. He sat at the huntress' bedside as Danny Phantom. He wore his 'casual' look: jeans, t-shirt while black socked feet were tucked underneath him. He paused his narrative of the day's ghost attack to just observe her. She looked exactly like someone froze her at that one moment over a year ago.

"Well, the kid we found still won't talk," he finally said, skipping to one of the other topics bothering him. "Val and I both think he's a super and he's keeping tight-lipped about everything. We haven't caught him using his powers but it's just a matter of time. Emotionally he's just as closed off as before. I had Sgt. Winker run a search on his name. All he came up with was a fake address in Gotham so we're at a dead end there.

"I don't know what to do with him, Janet. Things keep feeling worse and worse, that overdeveloped sixth sense you warned me about is working overtime. It feels like the storm's coming. You know, like that one time I staying at your house and the power went out. Ann kept hitting Jason with accent pillows and Brian was going through tech withdrawal. Remember how Brian and I sat on the porch and the air got really thick and the sky turned yellow. The storm that blew over the oak in your backyard. I'm getting that same heavy feeling," he babbled on even though the memorable storm happed last August while she lay in a coma.

"Gosh, I wish you were here. But if wishes were horses..." He had to stop, tears choking him. Emotions seemed closer to the surface when he was in ghost mode and those traitorous tears burned his eyes on more than one occasion. He forced his voice past the lump in his throat and kept talking.

"I miss talking to you. Hell, I miss even talking to Jazz. It's sad how my family keeps slipping away. First I lose my birth family. Then you and Brian took me in. That was a great couple of months. It's just not the same without you. The twins and Brian miss you so much."

He picked up her limp hand, rubbing circles across the dry skin.

A soft knock come from the doorway. The nurses and aides never knocked, nor did the regular visitors. He looked up surprised to see Thor and Gus standing there. He gently laid down Janet's hand as they approached.

"Phantom, we have a problem."

oOo

Robin paced the living room, alone. Went from feeling trapped to fearing the outside and back again, paranoia at its finest. Beyond that, he felt closer to himself, able to tell how _off_ his behavior of the past weeks exactly was.

He forced himself down the hall planning to take a shower to distract himself when he noticed Valerie's bedroom door was open.

Earlier on he learned that this one particular door remained locked at all times. He had stepped into the room only twice before and neither time did he have the leisure to look around and examine everything to his heart's content. Deciding to repress his curiosity he left the room alone, not breaking down the door nor pick the locks. Now that curiosity burned away the anxiety and artificial fear as he paused in the doorway.

He glanced around but he remained alone. This was the time of the day both Danny and Valerie attended school and Damian had been called to work due to some undisclosed emergency leaving the hero alone for the first time in weeks. Robin remained unsure of their exact schedule due to the fact that he spent a greater majority of the time sleeping the past couple of weeks. That alone should have triggered warning bells. Even though this was the most rested he felt ever, he couldn't make himself get up and move.

Once he entered Valerie's room couldn't help but notice that Danny must spend a majority of his time in this room. One dresser held girl paraphernalia while the other had a stack of comic books and a laptop. Pictures plastered the wall and frames displayed important people or moments. Certain people appeared again and again. He could pick out Danny's friend, Sam, easily enough. A black teen also appeared often, either wearing a red beret or a red skullcap, his smile ranging from huge to hesitant.

One picture tucked in back caught his attention. He lifted it up and wiped dust off the glass. Details unmarred by the dust came into focus, a guy and a girl both wearing tinted glasses. They wore Kevlar vests, the girl sporting a white shirt under hers while the boy word a dark gray t-shirt. He stood behind the girl, arms wrapping around the girl with a million-dollar smile.

Robin winced when a different image superimposed on the glass over the photo. Rain fell around a boy, eyes intense behind green glasses. "_Just hold still..."_

Lightning flared around and a shadow laughed in his face.

_"...hold still. We're going to take you to a hospital..."_

Rain falling around and even as the woman laughed he could hear weapons firing around him.

_"Are you alright..."_ People flew through the air and someone crouched over him as he lay on the soaked ground.

"She trapped it to hurt you..." his voice echoed from his dreams.

He dropped the picture frame and spun around.

"I'm leaving," he told the empty apartment. Weeks of perceived isolation, strangers his only company making him long for something, familiar or new he couldn't decide. He marched into the living room and pulled on one of Danny's abandoned sweatshirts. He grabbed his boots out of the coat closet, the heavy metal familiar and welcomed after spending so much time in socks and soft carpeting. Without giving himself time to think about it he threw to door open and left the apartment for the first time in over a weak and alone for the first time in weeks.

He didn't let himself succumb to the fear, the agoraphobia at having open sky above him. It still lingered beneath the surface, like it could escape from its box at any moment but he pushed that unwanted feeling away and for the first time it retreated to the box where he kept most of his fears locked up. His lips twitched in into a smile and he felt a little better, a little more like himself.

The city of Amity Park reminded him of a quieter, rougher version of Jump City. The buildings felt worn, paint peeling and glass dirty in the afternoon sun. Despite the rough appearance he could hear the normal sounds of people living. Actually, the buildings reminded him of the area near the Narrows, buildings crouched together while people tried to make the best of the lives they were given.

The sounds started about four or five blocks from the apartment building. As he passed an alley he could hear a panic-laden voice interspersed with other voices. Pressing against a brick wall he could see three people about a third of the way down.

The words cleared as he crept closer.

"I really think you should be on your way," a woman said nervously as she tried to back down the alley. The three men shifted, blocking her exit. Adrenaline rushed through his veins, a feeling he didn't realize he missed until it almost overwhelmed him. Not noticing the grin that spread itself subconsciously across his face he approached the group.

The woman continued to move back and forth, searching for an opening, keeping the three goon's attention on her. Without warning he struck, knocking the first man down and sending a second stumbling before they realized a new person had entered the equation. In seconds he knocked the third man into the wall and threw the second against a rusted dumpster. With inhuman shrieks, something oozed out of the men and rose into the air, a miasma of green that hung like fog until a breeze rippled down the alley and pushed it away and towards the sky.

Robin watched the miasma disappear for a moment longer before he turned his attention to the woman he just saved. Up close he could see she was older with silver hair and very dark skin. He made his way over as she pulled herself up and gathered a paper grocery bag into her arms.

"What the hell..." one of the men groaned and sat up. Robin dropped into a defensive pose but the woman made her way to her fallen attacker.

"It's okay," the woman murmured as she crouched next to the man. "A ghost possessed you but it has fled." The woman's heavy accent sounded soothing after the harsh shrieks of the green fog. All three men staggered to their feet and looked around. After apologizing they exited the alley, leaving Robin alone with the woman.

"Are you alright?" he asked. She nodded as she carefully stood. Close up he could see the wrinkles lining her face and accenting dark eyes, an almost violet-black as she stood in the alley's shadows. Possession could be the only explanation for the radical change in the three men. He decided to leave the men be and keep an eye on the woman.

"Can I walk you home Ms...?"

"Mrs. Nuodov," she answered his question. She smiled showing perfectly formed white teeth and causing her eyes to crinkle. "I would appreciate it, but, please call me Patricia."

_

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R&R

_AN: I am so sorry! It's cruel to make you guys wait for over a year for this while I dealt with Real Life. Almost half was hand written for a good portion of the time and it took a little to tie this together. Plus I needed to finish Witch Doctor Incident before posting this chapter. Thank you all for hanging in there,_

_Sqweakie_

_p.s. My mom is doing wonderful! The tumor is gone, her health has straightened out, her eye is back to normal. The only thing she can't do is stick her tongue out and since that is the worst of it we will take that (considering the alternative)._

_Thanks to the following for the reviews and support: babydragon11, Quacked Lurker, Anne Camp aka Obi-Quiet, JPElles, Arabic Blessing, Tetsukon, fadedphantom, The Great Susinko, Sasia93, Asilla, MP, Hikari no Tenshi, Cherry, Shadewolf7, Thunderstorm101, Serphenia, Silver Shadowbreeze, and Ali Phantom._


	12. Day 19 cont

**Orbits of Glass**  
_By: Sqweakie the Wonder Mouse_

_AN: No, I am not dead. I am just one of the horrible people that take forever to write. Well, the chapter is finally done so here it is. Huge thanks to Pterodactyl for the beta._

_Housecleaning issues: I moved my 'Artistic Liscense off of my profile and to my LiveJournal. Link in my author's profile. I'm also posting my stories there and soon a list of all the OCs that have shown up in the story._

_My mom is still doing great. It's been over two years since they've discovered and removed her tumor and she isn't having any problems. Well, except she found out she can't use 3D glasses like for 'Journey to the Center of the Earth'. She was instantly nauseaous and sick for a good twenty-four hours._

_

* * *

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Chapter Twelve

The control center was packed well beyond capacity and comfort for the fire code. The space was already crammed full of desks and computers and mysterious pieces of equipment that blinked and hummed. Add in almost the entire crew of hunters and staff and it felt decidedly claustrophobic. The highest ranking hunters were afforded front row seats near the screen projecting a map of the city and only a little floor space. Space that Phantom used to pace, gloved hands flying through the air as he gestured emphatically to the room while talking.

"How could you not notice? Days! She could have been missing for d_ays_! And who figures out she's gone?" People winced at the screech, objects vibrating just form his voice but that didn't stop Danny from ranting. "Gladys! Near-sighted-cleaning-lady Gladys! I love, don't get me wrong but I absolutely love her but _Gladys_ should not be the one to notice an opened PS Thermos before an entire _complex_ of hunters and staff realizes! That thermos is Permanently Sealed for a _reason!_"

Hunters actually cowered. Many forgot just how powerful Phantom was, lulled into a false sense of security due to his apparently gentle nature and ready laughter. They forgot how emotional the ghost could become. They took for granted the pleasant exterior that camouflaged a being that could literally tear apart the building with a single breath.

Emotions lay closer to the surface in ghost form with his layer of humanity stripped away, leaving him bared to his soul. He felt _more_, making it easier to laugh and joke, his ghost half more playful than his human side had become. Anger lay nearer to the surface as well, making both hunters and glass objects shake around him. He knew he was glowing, his aura beginning to tint green from the strength of his well deserved fury.

His mother shifted and Danny stopped ranting noticing how many of the humans stood on edge. He took a habitual but unneeded breath and started again, slightly more controlled.

"What do we know for sure?" he asked the room at large. He was one of the last hunters to get to HQ and only one with personal fighting experience with the controversial ghost. Most of those scattered throughout the room had other jobs at the time of the Witch Doctor. Danny knew of other ghosts more powerful than Nuodov but, to those around him, she was their epitome of evil. She hurt their own, she went after the most fragile of targets, and now she was free to do whatever she wanted.

Danny scanned the crowd waiting for the hunters or anyone else to speak up.

"She could have gotten out at the earliest two days ago," admitted Norris, the Head of the Council. "No one has had any reports of activity relating to her previous actions but there have been quite a few reports of ghost activity over the past couple of weeks."

"No one has heard anything? Any rumors that she was going to make a move?" Danny asked next. Negative responses rang around the room

"What about the Ghost Zone?" Brian Smith piped up from off to the side.

"I'm heading over there once we're done here. I don't have the time to head all the way to the castle but I can ask some of my contacts to see if there has been any new activity in the zone."

"I suggest we send out full patrols, groups of at least three. Nichols," Maddie Fenton singled out the police liaison officer hovering nearby. "Can you head upstairs and see if there are any missing persons reports or missing property? Oh, and let the word spread quietly. We don't need the local news reporters finding out and spreading mass panic. "

"Sounds like a good plan," Norris commented after receiving a nod of approval from Danny. "Smith, can you get groups together and divide up the city to patrol. I want you coordinating from here. Everyone else needs to suit up or get to their designated positions. We need to find her yesterday."

With that the room cleared as hunters and staff made their way to ready everything needed to search the city, leaving Thor, the Fentons and Danny alone in the front of the control area. With the closest person now on the other side of the room and gave the remaining few a chance to breathe.

"Do we have a hunter at the hospital?" Danny asked, for the first time letting worry leak through. He slumped against the nearest piece of equipment and stared at the city map and all the ground they had to cover making him think of a needle and the haystack. If they were lucky Nuodov would stay within the city limits otherwise their haystack just got larger and their needle a whole hell of a lot smaller.

"George offered since he was close," Thor responded. "He got there about five minutes before you got here. According to the doctor working there was no change in any of their conditions."

"I can't believe she's been missing for days…" Jack said worriedly, the first time he spoke up since Danny had gotten to HQ. His father paced back and forth in the now cleared space. When he drifted close enough his wife would reach out, brushing a hand against his arm or shoulder.

"She shouldn't be strong enough to pull anything but we know how well she is at biding her time," he continued, unconsciously stopping next to Maddie. Thor nodded in agreement while Danny picked at the edge of his glove.

Methodical and patient, not what you want in a ghost.

"I hate to ask but what are you doing about the kids," Danny asked the small group. Even though Norris was officially in charge of the Patrol these days everyone knew that the four of them and Smith were the end-all authorities of the Patrol. There were things they worried about that the general Patrol didn't know about. This included the identities of the fifteen children that Nuodov originally kidnapped over a year ago. Anything dealing with the fifteen was taken care of by their core group and certain select people that new their identities.

"Most of them are at school," Thor stated after checking one of the computers that tracked ecto-readings at the schools. The schools, along with the hospital, city hall and the police stations all had permanent sensors that tracked people and ghosts twenty-four seven. Danny knew that Thor memorized the ecto id numbers of the kids and various hunters, including Danny's separate numbers for his ghost form and the number that was modified with a little device that looked like a keychain that he pressed whenever he got near any monitored buildings in human form.

"The Patrol already decided to put the schools in lockdown before you even got here after they attack at the high school," his mother added. "They're lifting the lockdowns after each school is searched. There are cautionary letters going home with all the kids at the schools about the increased ghost activity. The four not living in Amity I'm going to notify before Jack and I head out on our patrol."

"Whose idea was it to lock down the schools to search them and expect local news not to panic?" Danny asked sarcastically.

"Gomez had the idea," Thor answered. "He's the new guy in PR. He figures they can word it so people don't panic."

"I don't care what Gomez thinks," Danny argued. "People are going to know something is wrong when they find out about the lockdown and the suggestion they stay at home that I'm sure the Patrol will send out next."

"But they won't know exactly what the problem is," his mother countered gently.

"We did the same thing for those slug-like ghosts four months ago," Thor piped up again. "They were not dangerous, just annoying and messy. People were happy to be told to stay in their homes."

"Well, great for them but that doesn't solve anything. Nuodov is out there somewhere. We don't even know what has she been doing these past couple of days or how she got out in the first place?"

"She had help," his father revealed, breaking his uncustomary silence.

"What!"

"We still have the thermos that the ghost busted out of," he turned to look at Danny. "Remember, you brought it to us to analyze. That's why I designed the locking Thermoses. I looked over her thermos, just a quick peek but this does not show the damage the other did. It is hard but not impossible to open a thermos back up. And at the same time they left the other ghost in the Thermos. If it was an accident they both would have escaped."

Danny stood still, gloved hands clenching his hair. He counted to ten silently before he started talking, wanting to make sure he was able to control his voice.

"So we start looking and hopefully find her before she does anything," he decided out lout, feeling hopelessness trying to creep in.

"Her book is untouched at least. I checked and moved it to a safer location."

"But she wrote the damn thing," Danny snarled, feeling anger creep back in with the hopelessness. "I'm betting she remembers enough to put together something nasty."

"So let's get going," Maddie Fenton chimed in with a clap of her hands. They looked at one another before heading in separate directions, knowing what each of them needed to do.

Danny vanished and phased through the ceiling to get outside. He didn't travel far, stopping in a nearby alley to meet up with his partner. Val stood in the shadows, red suit looking dangerous in the half-light. She grabbed his hand tightly as he landed, black-gloved fingers lacing with his equally gloved white ones. He pulled her into a quick hug, lingering as long as he dared before letting go and getting down to business. Quickly he repeated everything from the two meetings, cramming as much information as he dared in the short amount of time they had available. She asked a couple tense questions he answered as best as he could.

"Now what exactly are we going to do?" she asked sounding just as panicked as he felt. She remembered the last time Nuodov created havoc around Amity and neither of them wanted a repeat performance. He squeezed the hand holding his in a poor attempt to comfort. He already knew that the Patrol had contacted her, letting her know that Echo and Tango were to be kept in reserve instead of searching for the Witch Doctor per Thor's suggestion. That left Danny Phantom and The Red Huntress free to do what they needed to do.

"Call Sam and Tucker and have them meet us at Sam's house," he asked of her. "I need to run to the ghost zone and check something out. Sam said she finished modifying that scanner she and Tucker have been arguing about. I'll meet up with you there and then we can plan our next move."

"I can do that if you promise to be careful and not go after her on your own." He couldn't read her eyes but her voice was dead serious. She never saw exactly how messed up he was right after they captured Nuodov the first time but he was willing to bet anything that either Sam or Tucker told her.

"I promise I'll try," was all he could give her. He reached up with his free hand and phased her helmet right off. She immediately kissed him, a little desperate and a lot worried. Then they just stood there, wrapped together, contrasting suits only half-lit by the sun above them. All too soon he let go, knowing any longer would just be wasting more time even though he selfishly wanted a couple more minutes. With one last squeeze of her hand Danny handed her the helmet and took off for the ghost zone. He left her behind, standing in the shadows before she too flew off to tell Sam and Tuck how in trouble the city was.

**oOo**

Danny didn't enter the Ghost Zone as often as he did that first year he became a ghost. He knew his reputation had grown substantially since the early days. Now most of the tamer ghosts tended to shy away when he entered. There were many harmless ghosts that remained hidden that he never saw. The ones he initially had contact with (and fought with) were more violent than the majority of the GZ's population.

It wasn't respect that kept the weaker ghosts away when he travelled through the Zone. There was fear that followed him, the other ghosts knowing what he was capable of if he decided to turn dark.

Danny knew exactly how dangerous he could be. Only one time did he go too far, only one time did he take revenge against another ghost. At that one moment he knew exactly how far he would go for his family and how close he was to crossing a line that he knew he should never cross. Other ghosts could sense the stain, see the invisible marks left by that defining moment and it _scared_ them.

He flew as fast as he dared through the Ghost Zone, ignoring the flickers of ghosts running hiding as he passed. He didn't have time to feel ashamed of the fear. He had a goal in mind, a particular place he needed to go and without hesitation he passed through a portal in the zone into a lab straight out of a scifi show.

He had entered this room several times before and had seen it in various stages of upkeep and one time in complete ruin. Every surface was stainless steel or glass. Test tubes cluttered one table while a half-dismantled machine filled up another. As he passed he could see monitors light up and flash out data and information. He ignored it all for the one set of stairs leading out of the lab and into the rest of the mansion.

Dropping to the ground he transformed back to his human form for the added barrier of flesh to pad his emotions. He needed answers quick and only one man had better access to the Ghost Zone and hopefully the information that he needed.

In an over decorated, gaudy office Vlad Masters waited. The lab downstairs may change appearances often due to whatever projects the other man was working on at the time or what obsession took his fancy that month. In complete contrast, his private study was the same each and every time he entered it. The same dark paneling covered the walls, the same dark and overstuffed couches stood guard around the huge marble fireplace. Centerpiece to the room was a desk larger than Danny's old bedroom. The same metal statue sat at the corner of the desk even though Danny knew it had previous been melted, thrown out one of the huge, multi-paned windows and one memorable time was possessed and was blasted into a million teeny tiny pieces. It was the same ugly statue and he suppressed the urge to melt the thing again.

Danny took a breath and stopped in front of that stupid, ostentatious desk. The man behind the desk was very familiar and also unchanged from the last time they 'talked'. He looked frozen in a moment, same gray hair pulled back into a ponytail, same suit that only Colonel Sanders could love, same creepy expression and eyes watching his every move and his every breath. The man closed the book sitting in front of him and smiled.

"Hello Daniel. What brings you to the corner of my world?" The man oozed self-confidence that left an oily feeling on his skin from just listening to the older man. A couple years previous that would have garnered a pissed-off reaction from Danny. Time taught him how to play it cooler, for a little while at least. There was no point in getting angry just yet and unfortunately Vlad underhanded teaching left their mark and Danny learned to play everything a little closer to the vest.

"Oh, I was in the neighborhood… thought I would drop by," he said as he leaned his hip against the desk, trying to ignoring the crawling of his skin. The cat and mouse games Vlad still played bothered him, the only difference now was they more often played with words instead of fists and ectobeams. He missed the good old days where he could get pissed and just haul off and punch the guy. Sometimes he had even managed to hit the other halfa in the past.

"Well, if that is all Daniel?" Vlad said, reopening the book and waiting for Danny's next move. Playing it cool was overrated anyways.

"I need to know what's going on in the Ghost Zone?" he turned and leaned his full weight on his hand planted on the surface of the desk. Blue eyes flickered upward and an eyebrow cocked itself in amusement. Danny could feel his own eye wanting to twitch but he repressed the motion, not wanting to give Vlad the satisfaction of seeing him get under Danny's skin so early in their conversation.

"Things are always happening in there. Is there anything specific you want to know? I'm sure I can help you," he said with mocking sincerity.

Danny raised an eyebrow of his own and waited. The silence got to Vlad a lot quicker than it normally did but that could just mean the man wanted to hear his voice more than normal today. Danny swore that Vlad could be the king of monologging if he desired.

"Something big is happening and not necessarily just in the Ghost Zone," the other halfa sighed. "No word exactly what is going on but ghosts are getting nervous."

"Someone helped the Witch Doctor escape. Know anything about that?" That got the other man's attention. Vlad froze and for the first time made complete eye contact. He could feel the probing gaze of the older halfa as the temperature dropped in the room a couple of degrees.

"How long?" he demanded, completely serious.

"We think a couple of days," Danny said as he straightened up a little. "Ghosts have been escaping the ghost zone for a month before that."

Vlad stood and started pacing behind the desk. His head bobbed a little and Danny would bet anything that if he hadn't been standing in the room the other man would be talking out loud to himself.

"Anything else unusual happen during that time, Daniel?" he finally asked as he stalked back and forth.

This time Danny chose to remain silent, not offering anything else. He wasn't sure that their Super's appearance was a coincidence or not but he didn't need Plasmius to know either way. Otherwise the city ran normally with its occasional crime activity and normal, if more frequent, ghost sightings.

"Holding back information has never helped you before in the past," Vlad reminded him.

"Well, you usually know before I do so what's the point?" he deflected.

"Tensions are higher than normal in the ghost zone, if that is what you really came to find out," Vlad finally conceded. "Nothing specific, no new ghosts either since I am positive that will be your next question. The last time the Witch Doctor ran amok it was noticed almost immediately by the others. So no, I have no information for you."

"Thanks for nothing. It was a wonderful visit," he said sarcastically as he started for the door.

"I always enjoy your visits, even if it is to see you flail around trying to figure things out," Vlad's voice mocked from behind. "How is your beautiful girlfriend doing these days?"

"Leave Valerie out of this," he snared right in Vlad's smirking face, somehow making his way around or through the desk without conscious thought. This made the other man's smirk grow. Danny took a measured step backwards leaving a small amount of space between them.

"Temper, Temper Daniel. You need to learn better control." The other man was almost glowing with glee at his loss of control. Biting down before he said something that would really upset the other ghost or, more likely, get him into trouble, he turned back around and stomped towards the exit.

"Oh Daniel, two more things before you stomp off in a huff." Danny stopped only feet from the door but he waited. After a few moments Vlad started talking again.

"One, the offer still stands. If you get tired of playing 'loyal lackey' for the Patrol I could always find a place for you here." His hands clenched but he didn't rise to the bait.

"And the second thing?" he growled out still not turning as he waited for the second melodramatic proclamation.

"Not all humans are good and selfless. You remember that about ghosts easily enough but sometimes you are blinded to humanities faults."

"You have a name?" he asked without expecting an answer.

"Unfortunately no and before you ask my source is not for sale at this point. Just watch yourself. I would hate for someone to kill you before I can convince you to join me."

**oOo**

Within an hour he made his way back through the GZ and exited in his parents' basement. He stopped momentarily to place his hand against the fractured doors that once blocked the portal from the human world. The metal door was actually melted to the slightly warped wall leaving the portal permanently open. Pushing off, he waved at the camera set up to monitor the portal and exited the building. It wasn't that far to reach Sam's house and with a quick transformation back to human he knocked at the door. Immediately the close-mouthed butler greeted him and led him up to Sam's suite.

Inside waited Sam and Tuck, a sight that made Danny smile. The room still had the Goth vibe it had years ago but now it seemed to have mated with a metal shop class and he stood in its insane lovechild of a room. Three walls were painted a dark violet while the fourth was covered with sheet metal and pegboard and tools. The large bed at the far end of the room was covered with black silk and surrounded by candles while at the opposite end huddled worktables and tools and little pieces of equipment in different states of construction. A hidden stereo pounded in the background and though Danny didn't recognize the song the bass thumped steadily and matched the slight head banging occurring on the metal shop side of the room.

Sam stood at a worktable surrounded by tools and metal parts. All he could see of her was the back of her black shirt and pants that he swore were laced up the sides of her legs. She also wore a pair of heavy gloves that suspiciously looked like leather (or at least a vegan alternative to such materials). Occasionally sparks would fly in front of her striking the gloves that ran up to her elbows and covered every available patch of skin on her arms.

At a safe distance sat the other occupant in the room, Tucker. Danny could see even less of him since he sat ensconced at a computer desk on the other side of Sam. He could barely make out his red skullcap or the black sweatshirt Sam gave him last Christmas.

Sam noticed him entering the room first, gloved hand waving briefly before returning her attention to the project in front of her, mysterious clunking and pounding now accompanying the sparks. Tucker, who must have seen the motion, pushed slightly away from the desk and grinned.

"Hey Danny! How are you d…doing?" Tuck looked pretty good, his hat pulled down snug around his scalp as he pulled ear buds out to hear. Danny grabbed a chair and pulled it up to the desk. He could see various programs running. He settled in as Tucker yanked out a cord from behind his ear and straightened his hat. They both winced when a slightly louder clunk came from Sam before the sparks started again.

"It's been a long month," he stated with dark humor. "How was your visit to your grandparents' house?"

"Good. They let me stay up as long as I wanted to. But they w…wo… " Tuck started to stutter.

"Woke you up early," Danny finished with a laugh. Tucker shrugged and they both knew that it wasn't the first time his grandparents did the 'waking up at the crack of dawn' thing. It was just good to see Tuck smiling about it. Danny was less than pleased when they did the same to him last fall when he went with Tuck for a couple of days. Tuck talked about how his grandparents were doing and all the uninterrupted time he had to work on his designs and programs and how it felt being back in Amity Park again, an occasional stutter halting the brief reminiscence.

"It's good to be home," he finally stated with a small smile. "With the ghosts and the evil taskmaster with the soldering gun." Danny had to laugh at that as Sam mock growled.

"So if you guys are done being all touchy and feely, can we get back to the little situation going on right now? Thanks," Sam didn't turn towards them but Danny could hear the smile in her voice. It however was a gentle reminder this wasn't a pleasure call. Tucker sobered up too soon and asked the important question.

"So, it's true?" Tucker asked. "She's back?"

"Well, she isn't in the Thermos so that's a pretty safe bet. Right now the Patrol is combing the city and going over records for the past month to see if there is any hint at what she's doing or where she might be. I guess we became too complacent. "

"Well, you had a feeling…" Sam reminded him and Tuck jumped right on that.

"He had a feeling! You didn't say you had a bad feeling."

"Give it a rest Tucker. I wasn't going to call and ruin your vacation for a vague feeling. So did Val fill you guys in?"

"Yeah."

"She said she wanted to take a couple scans of her own with her suit then she'd give us a call, see if it picked up anything the normal scanners didn't."

"So do you have any new toys for us to play with," he asked hopefully. Sam and Tucker shared a look and his hopes were dashed.

"Neither of us have had any time to start anything new," Sam admitted reluctantly. "I gave Valerie the upgraded sensor. We manage to up the range to about half a kilometer."

"Everything else is in the prototype stage," Tucker finished. "If you gave us a couple more weeks we were going to work on those net things you suggested."

"Well I'm sorry that we didn't plan the escape of the crazy ghost to fit your schedule. I'm sure she'll postpone any attacks if we ask her really nicely."

"Geez, Danny. Calm down for a couple of minutes."

He looked back and forth to Sam and Tucker. They were his best friends, sticking with him since the beginning and there was no reason to treat them like he was.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "It's been a very rough month. This was the last thing we needed right now."

"So did Vlad have any info," Tucker asked.

"Nothing definite," he sighed. "He hinted that a human was involved with letting Nuodov out and stress is at an all-time high in the GZ but that was all he told me."

"You mean he didn't try to make you come over to the dark side or brag about how great he is? Is he sick?" Sam sounded almost worried. Tucker barely held back a sarcastic snort.

"Please tell me you got at least one lonely-cat-man jokes in before you left."

"Sorry to disappoint. I didn't even see either of the little hellions. Oh, he did offer me a 'place in his organization' again."

"Maybe we should get him a third cat. I swear the second one made him a little mellower.

His cell phone rang before they could start trading any more of Vlad-the-Cat-Lady jokes. He answered it, cutting off the Twilight Zone ringtone that Tucker had last installed on the phone. With the static filling the background he figured it was Val calling him while flying on her glider. It was a bad habit that she wouldn't break and it was frustrating trying to pick her voice out of the static.

"Danny, we've got a little problem," he was finally able to make out after the third repeat.

"What's wrong? I can barely hear you Val. Land somewhere so I can actually hear you," he ordered. After a couple of seconds the static faded and he was able to make out Valerie's voice.

"I stopped at home to give my dad the heads up about the Witch Doctor and no one was in the apartment." She sounded very worried and he could feel his stomach drop. "I was able to get a hold of my dad at work but I have no idea where Robin is."

"He's disappeared?" and the phrase made Sam and Tucker freeze and concentrate on Danny's end of the conversation. He saw Tuck mouth 'who' at Sam who in turn just shrugged. Danny held up a hand so they didn't start barraging him with questions and then concentrated on his girlfriend's voice.

"Either he disappeared or he turned into a piece of furniture," she responded tersely. "I can't find him anywhere."

"Crap. We don't have time to look for him." They really didn't need a missing super on top of everything else. They so did not need this right now.

"I was afraid you'd say that," she sounded just as tense as he now felt. They _really_ didn't need this.

"Hopefully he won't hurt himself," and what else could Danny say. "All you can do right now is get back here. I don't know what else we can do."

"Sure. I'll see you in about twenty minutes."

_

* * *

_

R&R

_Thanks to: Quacked Lurker, AlbinoChocobo, Girl on the Computer, Thunderstorm101, Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, Lockblade, Xela Tokrub, MutantLover09, Gmasangel, Aki, WolfDaughter, JPElles, bluename, babydragon11, inukagome15, and Sharnu._


	13. Day 19 still

**Orbits of Glass**  
_By: Sqweakie  
_

AN: Thank you for all of you that have reviewed, faved, watched, and lurked waiting for me update. Thank you for waiting through two different computer deaths, intense studying for my job and 2011 which is going down as one of the worst years in my life. Finally, Thank you for reading this chapter.

* * *

_Orbits of Glass Chapter Thirteen_

He woke up in the same haze of confusion, reminiscent of the first time he gained consciousness in Amity Park. Last time he woke up in a rundown apartment after a ghost attack. This time he found a small sitting room, overstuffed chairs surrounding the perimeter and framed photographs creating bright splotches of color on the otherwise plain walls.

Robin shook his head, clearing the last clinging webs of sleep. He remembered helping the woman pick up her groceries and walking her back to the small apartment. He remembered helping her put things away in faded but clean cupboards, fresh vegetables in the fridge, a small glass of juice poured as a reward, then... nothing.

Scrubbing a hand through his messy hair, he surveyed the room again, not seeing his hostess or anyone else.

There was one difference, from that first experience in Amity. For the first time in nearly a month he felt like himself. He felt like Robin.

The crippling fear, the self-recrimination gone. The sadness remained behind but now more reminiscent of what he felt thinking of his parents. The suffocating grief was gone.

"Are you alright?" a quiet voice interrupted his thoughts. " You fell asleep before I could ask if you would like to stay for dinner. I didn't have the heart to wake you up."

He looked out, the sky all the warm shades of sunset, then back to the woman in the doorway.

"Sorry, Mrs. Nuodov. It's just a long couple of days. I should get going anyways."

"It's Patricia, dear. And you shouldn't feel sorry. I think a couple hours of peaceful rest is only the beginning of what I owe you."

"Still, I should be heading out," he apologized, not wanting to impose and feeling embarrassed that he passed out on the couch he had only meant to sit on for a minute or two.

"Thank you again for stopping those ghosts," she said again as she lead the way to the front door. He politely accepted her words, used to dealing with gratitude from people countless times over the years. The older woman waited as he pulled on his boots and borrowed sweatshirt before opening the door. She stopped just outside, thanking him one last time as he headed down the front stairs to the sidewalk.

"Oh, just one more thing before you go, Robin," she stressed his name. He stopped, hand still on the railing leading down the steps. He forced his feet to move, turning around as adrenalin surged.

He never told the woman his real name.

She stood in the shadow of the stoop, skirt twisting slightly with the wind, a smile creeping on to her face as her eyes began to change. They heated up, going from dark purple to a red that glowed in the shadow of the building.

"Think about this later, when this is all over. Why did I let you go? What made you so special when with a single breath I could have torn your soul from your body, cast the fragments to the wild and the wind. I could have without a second thought. What did I gain from letting you go."

She started to fade, body and plaited hair and bright skirt merging with the shadows, all remaining were the eyes. Like Cheshire Cat's grin from Alice, her eyes remained even after the rest of the woman turned to vapor and nothingness.

"Oh, and tell Danny the Witch Doctor said hello. I still have to repay him for the last time he captured me."

She winked and finished fading into nothing, leaving him alone on the deserted street outside the house where he spent the afternoon with a ghost, and probably not a friendly one with the last threat still hanging in the air.

A lone siren started it, heralding the beginning. Not long another joined it, then a third. The artificial screams broke across the entire city. He only move a couple steps from the building when a smaller noise, almost lost under the sirens, drew his attention. He turned towards the street, the direction the noise came from.

Frost crawled across the ground, spiralling out from the center of the street. The cold crackled and snapped, moving faster and faster past him. He turned back to the epicenter to see a shard of solid ice rise off the ground and fall back. Then... then the air above the ice started to glow.

Like light escaping a crack in a door, green mist crept out of the air into empty parking space between a beat up car and a locked moving van. The mist fell out, hitting the ground and falling into the empty spaces between the lines of frost.

It flared and Robing threw up an arm, protecting his eyes from the blinding flash. Eventually the light died and it was safe for him to drop the arm from his face. The empty space in front of him was no longer empty. Mist burned away, leaving a figure standing between the parked cars. Poisonous green, like the mist and the light that herald it's arrival, the figure stood. It's red eyes stared directly at him. Ten or so feet separated Robin from a ghost

He'd watched Danny fight that bird ghost... well, someone who possibly could or could not be the other boy. Either way, the fight he observed played out like many of the battles he won over the years. The creature in front of him should be a piece of cake... Though the second one may complicate things... so would the one on the left... and two more coming from the alley.

"I've had worse odds," Robin told the ghost standing squarely in front of him. He cracked his neck and smirked, projecting more confidence than he felt. Balling a fist, he lashed out at the nearest creature, aiming for the main body mass of something part Freddy Krueger and part The Blob and completely green.

His first real ghost fight had been easy (he didn't count his welcoming by the Spectra ghost a real battle). No effort required throwing around three possessed humans. This battle proved a little harder.

Futile, each hit, each kick never connected. Many times the creature he attacked would either move or contort it's body around the strike. Some didn't even do that. Milliseconds from contact the creature would fade and it was like striking at smoke. Colors rippled around his fist but never did the creature flinch, never did it reel from a hit.

The first one laughed off on the sidelines as the smaller, less developed ghosts circled and played with him. Robin felt a bead of sweat trickle down the side of his face, whether from exertion or stress he was unwilling to categorize.

Then one of the ghosts, the fat one with the face of a beaver or rat, swung an oversized arm, shooting pale blue light from its fingertips.

The light seemed brittle, weaker than the attacks he'd seen from previous fights. However, the blue beam still had enough kick to throw him into an already derelict building. Bricks crumbled under the force and he fell through the wall into an abandoned room. Laughter echoed outside as he pulled himself out of the debris and collapsed outside onto the sidewalk.

Robin coughed, dust filling the air around him, hiding his attackers for a few precious seconds. Undefeated, he pulled himself painfully to his feet, using a piece of rebar as leverage and as a cane. Once upright, he hefted the metal in his hand, testing the balance as the dust settle back to the pavement.

He smiled, grim and determined, as he took in the surrounding ghosts.

Then he attacked.

The pole in his hands whipped out faster than his fist had earlier, catching a too close ghost offguard. It flew through the air, crashing onto the middle of the street.

The other ghosts looked from the blob on the middle of the street and then back to Robin.

"Like I said, I've dealt with worse odds." Then he ran forward, filled with renewed determination.

He swung the rebar again and again, gaining more room. His fists didn't have any effect but the makeshift weapon in his hands might. He lashed out, quicker than his arms alone could move. Some solid hits tossed ghosts back, away from the main group. Other times the ghost would duck or phase out of the way, One ghost wasn't fast enough and he finally drew blood... or at least the ghost's equivalent. It gleamed a sickly green, like the majority of creatures surrounding him.

Most of the ghosts fell back at the sight. Robin wasn't sure exactly why, but almost ever strike connected after that, even when the ghosts faded like before. Even hit pushing them back and through other solid objects like parked cars and a blue mailbox. They seemed confused, the human they played with was now beating them.

Robin should have expected that his luck wouldn't last. After driving most of the ghosts back, one stepped forward. It's shapeless body had stumpy arms and very small eyes. The thing leaned in, its mouth opened too wide, showing off two rows of jaggedly sharp teeth. It bit the middle of the bar, almost-muscles contracting in its face and the bar separated into two pieces, green goo and saliva coating the ends.

He jerked back, dodging a snap at his arm. If that thing chewed through steel, he didn't want it any where near his body.

He struck out, first with the bar in his left hand, then the one in his right, driving the ghost back. The others sensed the crack in Robin's confidence, saw his damaged weapon. They pressed closer, causing the human to move back

"Duck!" Reacting, he crouched down, taking the opportunity to swipe at the stick-like legs off to his left.

A beam burned overhead, hitting a ghost rearing up behind him. Two more shots followed quickly, taking out a couple more too close and driving the whole group back and together against the moving van.

"Grenade out!" a woman shouted. Robin dropped back to the sidewalk, arms covering his head. Something metal pinged ahead, the only warning before a blue light exploded from the group.

He cautiously looked up. The ghosts lay scattered, thrown by the blast.

Footsteps, reassuringly human footsteps, ran up and then hands were helping him girl who helped him up, who probably saved his life, looked maddenly familiar, black and purple hair pulled back into twin pigtails, eyes hidden by sunglasses.

"Are you okay..." his rescuer trailed off. Her hand reached out, fisting in his shirt so he couldn't move away. Then she pushed the glasses on her forehead. They sized each other up, recognition hitting them at about the same instant.

"Sam?"

"Robin?" she asked, equally stunned. "What are you doing out here?"

Rustling interrupted her. They both looked to the side. The ghosts knocked back were moving, stumbling to their feet or equivalent. Some had even managed to hover slightly off the ground but they all looked incensed.

"Explanations later, escaping time now." She grabbed his hand, her other still hefting a large gun onto her shoulder. She pulled him away from the mob, past the car with even more dents, past the collapsed wall to a different car, a small black one parked crookedly, probably when she left it when she noticed the lone human up against a small mob of ghosts.

The car lurched into motion, engine straining. "Come on, baby," she whispered to the dash. They moved a little faster. Ahead the mob of ghosts moved out into the street, an undead blockade.

Sam cranked the wheel, tires squealing as they slid and made a one-eighty. The car careened ahead and away from the group. The whole vehicle jerked as light splashed against the back. It shuddered one last time and the barrage stopped.

There was a collective breath of relief, both of them glancing over their shoulders to see the ghosts being left in the dust. Robin turned back around in time to see something green, maybe a foot, slipped into view for a moment.

"Oh, you did not just jump on top of my car, you creep."

The car rocked again, this time with the accompanying sound of claws on metal.

"Grab the bag out of the footwell."

Rob looked down to see a green tote pressed up against his feet. He grabbed and pulled it onto his lap. Sam reached over, digging blindly inside it before pulling a metal object out.

"Use this," she ordered, thrusting a cylindrical object towards him. He took it, turning it a couple times before figuring out what the object was.

"A thermos?" Rob asked, questioning both his driver's choice in weapon and sanity. "And I'm supposed to use it for what? Inviting it to lunch?"

A fist smashed through the back window, cutting her off. Robin twisted in his seat, thumb naturally settling on a lone button. The ghost crawled through the shattered window, shards of glass stained with more green goo as it forced its way into the vehicle.

"Take off the top, aim it and Press the Button!"

Robin glanced down at the object, then looked back at the ghost. The thing locked eyes with him, red and angry. It snarled and pushed further inside. He gritted his teeth, pried the cap off, point the opening and pressed the button.

The thermos bucked in his hands, light swirling out the opening and immediately rushing back in, dragging the ghost with. Sam continued her encouragement, kept saying just a little longer, to hang on.

The light shut off on its own, leaving the back of the car illuminated only by weak sunlight, flickering streetlights, the ghost's blood glowing in the back. For a time only the sound of air rushing through the broken glass and the mournful sirens filled the Prius.

"You did good," Sam said, grabbing his shoulder, getting him to twist back the right way in his seat. He settled down, not relinquishing his grip on the object in his hands until Sam managed to tugged it away.

"What the… That... was gross," he laughed, wiping a layer of green slime from his cheek.

_oOo_

The car passed through the streets, empty of humans but the occasional cop car and one strange looking van. They turned onto a smaller street and passed through a large gate. They eventually pulled up to a huge house in a gated community, garage door opening automatically. The Prius looked a disaster next to trimmed hedges and the matching sports cars parked in the garage.

"What are we doing here?"

A fist tugged nervously at one of her pigtails, eyes glancing around before centering on him. "This is my house. Technically, my parents' house. I know you're aren't from around here but you're here, don't know what it means when ghosts start attacking en-mass. You're stuck here either way, might as well wait it out some place safe."

"But what does that mean?" he asked, closing the car door and following her.

As they talked, they made their way through the garage and something too fancy to be called a mudroom before they entered a kitchen, not as huge as the one in Wayne Manor but just as tastefully decorated.

Inside the room huddled three or four people around a television. They all turned as they approached but only the woman wearing a dress and pearls rushed over.

"Sammy-kins! Are you alright? We were so worried when the sirens went off. I am so glad you are safe at home," the blond woman gushed, manicured fingers resting on Sam's shoulders, one of the few places not splattered with ectoplasm.

"I'm fine, Mom," Sam sighed as she slipped out of the woman's grasp.

"Leave the girl alone, Pamela," someone scolded from behind. Everyone turned to the newcomer. Robin felt his lips twitch as an older woman, grey hair pulled up into a bun and sporting a Pink Floyd t-shirt partially covered by a knit sweater, pulled up on a motorized scooter. "I'm just glad you are unhurt, honey. You're friends are up in your room getting the equipment set up."

"Thanks, Bobeshi." Sam gingerly leaned over and kissed the woman on the cheek, avoiding dripping goo on her. She straightened up and motioned Rob to follow.

The woman on the scooter led them up a large ramp to the second floor. Sam moved ahead and opened up a large door on the left side of the hallway. She held it open, first letting their guide pass first, then motioning him to enter.

Rob only made it a step or two before he had to stop, staring at the room and wondering if Sam was the secret lovechild of Raven and Cyborg.

A stereo thumped softly in the background as he cautiously entered. Out of reflex he noted the workbenches, the tools, the goth inspired furnishings all pushed to one side. He finally settled on the long row of monitors filling the gap between the workspace and the jumbled furniture. Carefully he stepped over cables that snaked across the floor as he followed Sam. The old woman just motored over them, pulling up to a free monitor off to the side.

He looked back and forth, some screens showing city maps, most likely Amity Park. Some looked to be hooked into webcams, people staring out of the screens or looking down or away, eyes occasionally flicking back up.

He could see one boy off to the side, skin lighter than Cyborgs and wearing a red hat, looking back and forth between three screens alone.

"Welcome to the Ghost Patrol Auxiliary HQ," she announced, arms indicating the people, the computers, the monitors Robin took time noting.

"GAP for short," someone on one of the screens shouted.

"We are not the Gap. We will never be the Gap. The Gap is pure evil," she hissed out.

Everyone else laughed, the goth just crossing her arms. "Like I was saying, during a ghost invasion there's no better place to be. I know I was happy to be here during the last one."

"I don't know if we should be happy or not that it isn't slugs invading this time."

"I'm tempted to say this is better than the slugs," Sam replied to the statement, looking up with a smile.

Robin looked up as well and blinked. On the high ceiling, above their heads and barely illuminated by the sunset and the monitors paced the human-like ghost from before, the Danny-clone.

Currently the ghost paced back and forth, feet firmly planted on the ceiling.

Sam chuckled next to Rob. "That's Phantom. We banish him up to the ceiling the minute he started to pace. When he walks through the wires, he disrupts our communication links. And he always forgets to look where he's walking when he's worried.

"You found him," the ghost said looking up, or down depending on your point of view. "Danny and Val called us. They were worried."

"I've had better days," he mused, wiping more goo from his shirt.

"Hey, shut it! Police scanner!" The kid in the red hat yelled out, interrupting everything. They all stopped moving. Sam hit a button on the stereo sitting on a workbench. In the quiet came the static of a radio.

"I don't think it's a ghost, whatever it is. Normal traps didn't work. I need some senior hunters over here now."

A sudden burst of coughing drown out the rest of the transmission. Every occupant in the room looked up to see Phantom curled in on himself, feet still planted on the ceiling. He jerked, coughing again. Blue smoke curled around his fist, lungs heaving. Robin turned to Sam, mouth opening to question her on what was happening.

"What did you do?" a voice, a new voice, asked from the doorway. "The barrier is breaking."

* * *

_R&R_


End file.
